'The Crimson River Star' Nadia Fares dies days after swimming pool emergency
The French star never regained consciousness following a cardiac arrest
Nadia Fares has died at the age of 57, just days after she was found unconscious in a swimming pool in Paris, her family confirmed.
The Crimson River star was discovered last weekend at a private gym and later went into a coma after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to reports from French media.
She never regained consciousness and passed away on Friday, April 17, at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital.
In a statement shared with AFP, her daughters Cylia and Shana Chasman confirmed her death.
“It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of Nadia Fares this Friday,” they said. “France has lost a great artist, but for us, it is above all a mother we have just lost.”
Authorities have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, though no signs of wrongdoing have been identified at this stage.
On social media, her daughter Cylia paid tribute in an emotional message, describing her mother’s passing as “a heartbreak I will never get over.”
She remembered Fares not only as a parent but also as a close confidante, writing that she had been her “role model” and “best friend.”
Born in Marrakesh, Morocco, in 1968, Fares rose to prominence in French cinema and gained international recognition for her role in Mathieu Kassovitz’s The Crimson River.
She later appeared in films including Storm Warning and numerous French productions.
Fares had a complex medical history, including brain surgery in 2007 following an aneurysm she once described as a “ticking time bomb,” as well as multiple heart operations over the years.
Despite health challenges, she remained active in the industry and was preparing to expand her career behind the camera. She had been scheduled to begin work on an action-comedy project later this year, marking her intended debut as a director and screenwriter.
Her sudden death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the French entertainment industry, as colleagues and fans remember a performer whose career spanned decades on screen and stage.