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Anita Ekberg Has Died At Age 83

Anita Ekberg, who rose to stardom as a sex symbol in the 1950s and cemented herself in history through her role in Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, died today, January 11, 2015, at the age of 83.

The Swedish-born actress, who adopted Italy as her home, achieved worldwide fame for her role as “Sylvia” in Fellini’s classic 1960 film, La Dolce Vita.

Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg was born in Malmo, Sweden on September 29, 1931. In 1951, she was spotted on the street by organizers of the Miss Sweden competition. After encouraging her to enter, she won, CBS News reported. In 2015, she died in the small town of Rocca di Papa, Italy.

Her lawyer, Patrizia Ubaldi, said that the cause of death was attributed to “complications of a long illness,” a New York Times report indicated. The Washington Post, as if to contradict the NY Times report, published a report which they indicated that her attorney had not cited a specific cause of death.

Her attorney confirmed the death but did not cite a specific cause.

Although Ekberg did make an appearance at a film festival in Rome back in 2010, she has mostly retained what The New York Times referred to as “a low profile in recent years.” A new restoration of La Dolce Vita was having its world premiere at the aforementioned festival.

It was reported in December of 2011 that Ms. Ekberg was “almost penniless” and “had no family to help her.” At the time, she was living at a nursing home in Italy, her adopted country, and was seeking financial assistance from the Fellini Foundation.

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