The funeral of renowned Italian ballerina Carla Fracci took place at the San Marco church in Milan on Saturday.
Hundreds of people gathered outside the church to bid the star a final farewell, with applause ringing out as the hearse carrying her coffin arrived for the service.
Born in 1936, Fracci became a leading dancer of La Scala Theatre Ballet in Milan before touring with international companies for decades. She was renowned for her romantic roles alongside other such greats as Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
Milan’s Teatro alla Scala opera house announced her death on Thursday, May 27 without giving a cause, but Italian news outlets reported that she had been fighting cancer.
The Teatro alla Scala recalled the “fairytale rise” of the daughter of a tram driver who, through “talent, obstinance and work, became the most famous ballerina in the world [and] inspired generations of young people.”
They Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, has said the city will pay homage to Carla Fracci by dedicating an all-white tram to her.