CAIRO - Egyptian actress Madiha Yussri died on Tuesday night at the age of 97 after a long battle with illness that lasted for years.

Yussri breathed her last breath at Al-Maadi Military Hospital where she was moved to recently after the Egyptian government took the decision to cover all expenses of her treatment.

Yussri had been in and out of the hospital over the past year due to kidney and heart problems.

The legendary actress's funeral will be held on Thursday, starting from Sayida Nafissa Mosque and her body will be buried in a family cemetery in the 6th of October area.

Yussri began acting in the early 1940s and had a long career that lasted until 2012 when failing health forced her to stop.

The actress had married five times and had one son, the late actor Mohamed Fawzi who died in a car accident nearly 27 years ago. - Agencies