Monica Vitti has died at the age of 90.
Monica Vitti has passed away
The award-winning actress has passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Walter Veltroni, the former Mayor of Rome and a film critic, confirmed the news via a Twitter post.
He wrote: "Roberto Russo, her companion in these years, asks me to communicate that Monica Vitti is no more. I do so with great grief, affection, and nostalgia."
The movie star was best known for starring in a series of films directed by Michelangelo Antonioni in the 1960s, including 'L’Avventura', 'Red Desert' and 'La Notte'.
Monica subsequently switched her focus to starring in comedy movies, and she worked multiple times with director Mario Monicelli.
Dario Franceschini, Italy's minister of culture, has already hailed her as the "queen of Italian cinema".
He said: "Farewell to Monica Vitti, farewell to the queen of Italian cinema."
The actress' first English-language film was 'Modesty Blaise' - a James Bond spy spoof - in 1965.
She also worked with the likes of Etore Scola and Luis Bunuel, and starred alongside a host of big-name actors, including Sir Michael Caine, Terence Stamp and Richard Harris.
Monica actually appeared in a number of Italian-language films that were never released overseas.
She won as many as seven Italian Golden Globes for Best Actress during her career.
What's more, Monica was awarded the Career Golden Globe and five David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress, as well as the Venice Film Festival Career Golden Lion Award in 1995.
The film star married her long-term partner Roberto Russo in 2000 and made her last public appearance in 2002, when she attended the the French premiere of the stage musical 'Notre-Dame de Paris'.
In 2011, it was revealed that she'd been battling Alzheimer's disease for many years.
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