Renowned Egyptian actor and musician Hussein El-Imam died Saturday at the age of 63.
An official cause of death has not been confirmed, but, according to preliminary reports from state-run Al-Ahram, El-Imam succumbed to cardiac arrest.
The son of the late Hassan El-Imam, one of Egypt’s most acclaimed filmmakers, Hussein El-Imam had cinema in his blood. But, Medhat El Adl, a scriptwriter and producer who worked with El-Imam, said his talent matched his pedigree.
“He was successful in whatever he tried his hand in, be it producing, acting or music,” El Adl said.
Hussein El-Imam acted in more than 70 films. A talented musician, he began his career performing with his brother Moody El-Imam, before going on to write the scores for a number of Egyptian films, including 1992’s Ice Cream in Gleem.
Friends remember Hussein El-Iman, who hosted a popular prank TV show called Hussein ‘al Hawa, for his sense of humour.
“Hussein was good-natured and had a great sense of humour,” said the actress Yossra, who credits Hussein El-Imam’s family for launching her career.
“Hussein is one of my best friends,” she told Daily News Egypt. “He is my brother and we have known each other many years; we have experienced the best of life together. His father Hasan El-Imam discovered me; he was the first to tell me I was going to be an actress when we were family friends; I have lost a family member.”
During his last interview on Sahebet Al-Saada show, Hussein El-Imam told his show host, lifelong friend and renowned movie producer and actress Isaad Younes that he believes that “life is too short to be wasted in struggles and crises”. He added that he has always tried to teach those near him to isolate themselves from struggles and not to indulge in them.
Hussein El-Imam was married to Egyptian actress Sahar Ramy who appeared in a number of his movies, including Kaboria, which starred Ahmed Zaki.
