Italian actress Claudia Cardinale passes away at the age of 87

Italian actress Claudia Cardinale, who appeared in "The Leopard," "8½," and "Once Upon a Time in the West," died on Tuesday at age 87 in Nemours, France. The news has shook the entertainment industry.

Actress Claudia Cardinale's agent, Laurent Savary, confirmed that Cardinale died of natural causes at her home in Nemours, where she lived with film producer Pasquale Squitieri. She had undergone hip surgery in 2019, after which she had largely remained out of the public eye. Some media reports stated that she had not reported any long-term illness.

Claudia Cardinale began her film career at the age of 17 after winning a beauty contest in Tunisia. She then entered the Italian film industry. She made her acting debut in the 1958 comedy classic "Big Deal on Madonna Street," in which she played a Sicilian girl dressed in black. It was also produced by Franco Cristaldi, who managed her early career. Cardinale later married her, and the couple lived together from 1966 to 1975.