Award-winning Belgian actress Émilie Dequenne has died at age 43.
Dequenne’s household and agent confirmed her loss of life to French information company Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Sunday, March 16. Dequenne died of a uncommon type of most cancers in a hospital outdoors of Paris that evening.
Information of Dequenne’s loss of life comes multiple 12 months after she introduced by way of Instagram in October 2023 that she was identified with adrenocortical carcinoma — most cancers of the adrenal glands.
“Since mid-August, once I underwent a serious emergency operation, I proceed to maintain myself,” she wrote in her announcement publish, translated from French, on the time. “It’s not straightforward each day, however I’m decided to beat this uncommon most cancers that has determined to show my life the other way up. I received’t let it occur, consider me!”
She continued, “I’m surrounded and overwhelmed by good vibes, optimistic ideas and love. From my family members in fact, and now, from you who’re studying this message … I say that your ideas in direction of me might be my power.”
Dequenne made her movie debut at age 17 within the 1999 drama Rosetta. Her breakout efficiency scored her a Greatest Actress win on the Cannes Movie Competition that very same 12 months. The movie’s codirector Luc Dardenne paid tribute to Dequenne in a Monday, March 17, interview with French radio station FranceInfo.
“It’s horrible, life is disgusting generally. It’s actually too younger, she nonetheless had a lot to do,” Dardenne, 71, informed the outlet.

Recalling her Rosetta audition, he continued, “She got here in with pumps, heavy make-up, her hair very executed up for the casting. For her, it was an occasion, she thought she needed to be very well dressed. We began the scenes and we noticed: she was magnificent, she was there, all the things she did, we felt that the digital camera cherished her.”
Dardenne went on to name Dequenne “extraordinary” in her different work, which included TV reveals and movies corresponding to The Brotherhood of the Wolf, The Housekeeper, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Woman on the Practice, The Lacking, Inside and An Odd Man. “Filming was her life, she’s an actress who might have executed a lot of issues and who folks cherished,” the director shared.
Dequenne’s final credit score earlier than her loss of life was the 2024 movie TKT, through which she performed the mom of a 16-year-old lady who leads to a coma. The actress is survived by her husband, fellow actor Michel Ferracci, and daughter Milla Savarese, 22, whom she shared with ex Alexandre Savarese.
Dequenne celebrated World Most cancers Day in certainly one of her remaining Instagram posts earlier than her loss of life. “I virtually forgot, as a result of I used to be leaving the hospital at the moment after 13 days … What a fierce battle!” she captioned her February 4 publish, translated from French. “And also you don’t select … simply writing these few phrases is a gigantic effort.”
Along with thanking her household and pals for his or her help, Dequenne went on to ship “all my like to all those that are struggling like me towards their will.” She ended her publish on a hopeful word, writing, “Handle yourselves.”