Monica Vitti, Queen of Italian cinema, passes away

Queen of Italian cinema Monica Vitti has died at the age of 90, according to Italian politician and family friend Walter Veltroni.

"Roberto Russo, her life companion for many years, asked me to announce that Monica Vitti is no longer here. I do this with pain, affection and regret," Veltroni tweeted on Wednesday.

"Goodbye to the queen of Italian cinema," the current culture minister, Dario Franceschini, wrote in a statement.

Vitti had been out of the public spotlight for years, living quietly in Rome with her husband. She reportedly suffered from a form of dementia.

She was well-known for her work with some of Italy and Europe's most influential filmmakers throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

She was the most famous for her performances in Michelangelo Antonioni's international breakthrough trilogy: "L'Avventura," "La Notte" and "L'Eclisse."

She later returned to work with Antonioni once again on "The Mystery of Oberwald" in 1980.

Vitti - born Maria Luisa Ceciarelli on November 3, 1931 in Rome - worked with many of the giants of cinematic history, including Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel and Italian master Ettore Scola, during a career spanning more than 30 years.