The acting world is mourning the loss of a star.
Emilie Dequenne, the Belgian actress known for roles in The Missing and Our Children, died March 16 following a battle with a rare adrenal gland cancer, her agent Danielle Gain confirmed to news agency AFP. She was 43.
Her press representative Charlotte Tourret also expressed her condolences, writing on Instagram in French, “You were an example to us all through your extraordinary strength and courage.”
“You are an inspiring woman, a great soul, a great actress,” she continued. “I will always remember your smiling eyes and your light. I love you forever, my Émilie.”
The news comes one month after Dequenne shared on Instagram in French that she nearly forgot to post for World Cancer Day because she was leaving the hospital after 13 days. She added in the Feb. 4 post, “What a fierce battle.”
E! News has reached out to Dequenne’s reps for comment and has not heard back.
The actress’ breakout role came at 17 years old when she starred as the titular character in 1999’s Rosetta, for which she earned Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival that year. Following her passing, the film’s co-director Luc Dardenne reflected on the day she auditioned, donning high heels and coming in “heavily made up.”
“For her, it was an event, she thought she had to be really well dressed,” he said on French radio station FranceInfo March 17, per Deadline. “We started the scenes and we saw she was magnificent, she was there, everything she did, we felt that the camera loved her.”
Dequenne’s death comes less than two years after she shared her cancer diagnosis in October 2023. Months later, the Close actress announced that she was in complete remission.
“Thank you all for your positive vibes, your messages of love, and your prayers from all sides,” she wrote in French on Instagram in April 2024. “The battle is not over. I am under very close surveillance and receiving treatment, but my spirit is strong.”
“As it turns out, you always have to believe,” she continued. “I’m thinking of those who are facing the disease; I am with you with all my heart, sending you my strength, and I’m holding you in my arms.”
