The last wife of Muharram Fouad.. The passing of Mona Hilal, the icon of the “golden age” of Egyptian television | Miscellaneous

The sister of Egyptian journalist Mona Hilal, one of the prominent faces on Egyptian television during the 1990s, announced her passing in the early hours of Sunday morning, in news that sparked a wave of sadness among her colleagues and fans on social media platforms.

In an emotional post on her Facebook account, Iman Hilal wrote, mourning her sister: “My beloved sister, the great journalist Mona Hilal, the broadcaster on Egyptian television, has passed away to God’s mercy, and condolences are limited to the cemeteries. We ask you to pray.” Then the obituary turned into a lengthy prayer that reflects the depth of loss and the sincerity of human connection.

A prominent face in the “golden age” of Egyptian television

Mona Hilal is one of the most prominent female broadcasters who appeared on Egyptian television in the 1990s. She worked as a broadcaster and presenter on Channels One and Two, and her voice was linked to announcing the daily program map, which made her presence familiar in the homes of Egyptians during what is described as the “golden age” of media.

Despite her early retirement, she left a clear mark with her famous program “Treasure Treasures,” and she also participated in acting through classic dramatic works, including the series “Tales of He and She” opposite Souad Hosni and Ahmed Zaki, and the series “So that Love Does Not Suffocate,” before she preferred to quietly move away from the limelight and media work.

The seventh and last wife of Muharram Fouad

Mona Hilal’s name was also associated with the late artist Muharram Fouad, as she was the seventh and last wife in his life. Local newspapers describe her as having chosen to retire and stay away from cameras and artistic life in response to his desire, to devote herself to their private life and support him in the last years of his illness until his passing in 2002, and then she continued on a quiet path away from the media until her death.

Muharram Fouad is a prominent Egyptian singer whose star has risen since the 1950s. During his career, he performed hundreds of national songs and anthems, and maintained a strong presence in the singing scene alongside a generation of great Arab singers. He also participated in a number of cinematic films that fall within the Egyptian “film musical” tradition, before his career ended with his passing at the beginning of the new millennium after suffering from illness.

A presence that will not be forgotten in the audience’s memory

The passing of Mona Helal brought back to the public’s memory the image of the calm broadcaster, whose voice and simplicity were associated with an entire generation of viewers, as users circulated her pictures and snapshots of her appearance on screen, and recalled the features of that stage of Egyptian television.

The public’s interaction intersects with her sister’s obituary, and the comments were filled with expressions of condolence and prayers for mercy and forgiveness for her, and praise for her elegant presence at a time that seemed to many to be part of their childhood memory and their first viewing of television.