Turkey bids farewell to veteran actress Fatma Girik

ISTANBUL

Veteran actress Fatma Girik, who died on Jan. 24 at a hospital where she was being treated, was laid to rest following commemoration ceremonies held in Istanbul yesterday.

The funeral which was planned to take place on Jan. 25 had been postponed due to heavy snowfall and blizzards that crippled life in Turkey’s northwest.

The first ceremony for the actress was held in the main building of Istanbul’s Şişli Municipality, where she served as mayor between 1989 and 1994, and the second ceremony was held at the Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall.

Girik’s family, officials of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Şişli Mayor Muammer Keskin, municipal employees and fans of the actress attended the ceremonies.

“She is a name that has established a throne in the hearts of millions with her masterful artistry and social films,” Keskin said during his speech at the farewell event.

Following a funeral prayer held in the Teşvikiye Mosque, her body was transferred to the Aegean province of Muğla’s Bodrum district to be buried next to her life partner, actor Memduh Ün.

Born in Istanbul in 1942 and graduated from a prominent school in the Turkish metropolis, Girik was only 13 when she took her first role in a movie, a 1955-dated family drama “Günahkâr Baba” (The Sinner Father).

Acting in more than 180 movies during her career, Girik was especially involved in projects that highlighted social problems such as poverty and inequality.