Crowds of people gathered around Dar Al Foad Hospital as the body of the late legendary actor Ahmed Zaki, known as the black tiger of the silver screen, was taken to be buried. Ahmad was placed in a coffin wrapped with the Egyptian flag and hundreds of stars and thousands of ordinary citizens wept as they said their last good bye to one of Egypt’s brightest actors.
A gloomy cloud covered the skies of Egypt and number of VIP figures attended the funeral ceremony headed by Ahmad’s only son Haitham. Security officials attempts to create order failed due to the massive numbers of people present, making Ahmad’s funeral similar to that of the late legendary singer Umm Kalthoum and other great figures.
After a long journey of suffering from lung cancer, Ahmad Zaki passed away Sunday March 27, 2005 at the age of 57. The actor had been in a coma for eight days and finally his body gave up and his heart stopped beating.
Zaki, who acted and starred in 54 films since 1974, died at Dar al-Fuad Hospital in Cairo one week after slipping into a coma. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2004, after which he was treated at a Paris hospital before he returned to Cairo to continue chemotherapy.
He was renowned for playing the roles of Egypt's late presidents, Gamal Abdul Nasser in the film "Nasser 1956," and Anwar Sadat in "The Days of Sadat."
