Gina Lollobrigida - a legendary actor who dominated European cinema in the 1950s and 1960s - has sadly passed away at the age of 95.
Per BBC News, Lollobrigida's death has been confirmed by the Italian news agency Ansa.
Until today, she remained one of the longest-surviving high-profile international stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and remains one of the greatest sex symbols in cinema.
Her acting career spanned over six decades, with some of her most notable roles including The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1956), Solomon and Sheba (1959), and Come September (1961).
Additionally, Lollobrigida starred opposite some of the biggest names in the industry's history, including Frank Sinatra, Errol Flynn, Rock Hudson, and Humphrey Bogart.
At the age of 90, Lollobrigida's illustrious career was honored when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
She said at the time: "I was moved because I didn’t expect that after so many years, my god, the love is still on. It's unbelievable."
Other career highlights include a 1961 Golden Globe win (and an additional two nominations), three David di Donatello awards, two Nastro d'Argento awards, six Bambi awards, and a BAFTA nomination.
As she began to step away from acting, Lollobrigida would pursue a career in photojournalism.
But as BBC News reports, the acting legend didn't just opt for a career change for fun. In fact, Lollobrigida stunned the world when she scooped an interview and photoshoot with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the 1970s.
After spending 12 days with the leader, Lollobrigida would later go on to say: "He didn't interest me as a political leader but as a man. He realized that I hadn't gone there to attack him and he readily accepted me."
Discussing her history of romantic relationships back in 2018, Lollobrigida revealed: "I never decided to have an important relationship, only friendships. Unfortunately, love, when you’re famous, the men can be jealous. It’s not easy. Sometimes it’s bad enough to be a beautiful woman, a normal woman."
Nevertheless, that didn't stop Lollobrigida from being showered with attention.
BBC News states that film producer and business mogul Howard Hughes frequently proposed to Lollobrigida, and she even claimed that Prince Rainier of Monaco would voice his interest in her - despite being married to Grace Kelly.
"He would make passes at me in front of her, in their home," Lollobrigida once claimed.
Our thoughts go out to Lollobrigida's family, friends, and loved ones at this time.
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