Popular Kuwaiti actress Hayat Al-Fahad died on Tuesday following a brief illness. She was 78.
Al-Fahad's death was announced on her official Instagram account. The post called her "an icon of Gulf drama", adding that she leaves behind leaving "a timeless legacy that will be remembered for generations".
Al-Fahad, who rose to fame on TV show Bu Jassum's Family in the 1960s, appeared in more than 50 TV series and movies during her seven-decade career, including Khalti Qumasha, Ruqiya wa Sabika, Jarh Al Zaman and 'ndama Tu'Gany Al Zuhor.
Rumours about Al-Fahad’s failing health circulated widely last year, after she underwent a catheterisation procedure at the end of July following a stroke.
Khalid Al-Rashed, president of the Kuwaiti Union for Artistic and Theatrical Production and Entertainment Professionals, said at the time that Al-Fahad suffered a second stroke during treatment, but added that it was successful and that she remained in intensive care at a hospital in Kuwait.
Al-Fahad's celebrated career has not been without controversy. In 2020, she caused outrage by suggesting expatriates should be deported from Kuwait amid the Covid-19 pandemic, claiming the country's hospitals could be overwhelmed by foreign nationals and urged authorities to take action.
"If we get sick, there are not enough hospitals for us,” Al-Fahad told Kuwaiti TV station ATV. “Why, if their countries do not want them, should we deal with them? Aren’t people supposed to leave during crises?"
She also suggested that expats should be "sent out" or "put in the desert".
"I am not against humanity, but we have reached a stage where we’re fed up," she added.
Al-Fahad's comments were subsequently criticised online, with fans accusing the actress of showing a lack of humanity.
That same year, a Ramadan drama that she starred in, Um Haroon, caused controversy when it was accused of whitewashing Israeli crimes against Palestinians and trying to rewrite history.
In the show, which aired on MBC 1, Al-Fahad played a Jewish obstetrician in the 1940s, in what is now modern-day Kuwait, who finds her once pluralistic community turning against her.
She later defended the series in an official statement from the television network.
"The Jewish people lived in this region and this cannot be denied as a historical fact," she said, adding that the drama is more focused on the development of Um Haroon's character, as opposed to providing political commentary on the Middle East.
"It presents Um Haroon as a character that is peaceful, kind and who lived in this geographic area," the actress continued. "Um Haroon's character allows her to gain the trust of the villagers from all faiths – Muslims, Christians and Jewish."
