Lyudmila Gurchenko, a Soviet-era film icon and one of the country's most beloved actresses, died in her Moscow home late Wednesday, her relatives told Interfax. She was 75.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but an unidentified Moscow medical source said doctors believed that it was linked to complications from a hip surgery that Gurchenko underwent earlier this month.
President Dmitry Medvedev expressed his condolences.
Gurchenko, a native of Ukraine, debuted as actress in the early 1950s and soon shot to fame with the 1956 film "Karnavalnaya Noch" (Carnival in Moscow), a New Year-themed comedy that has became a staple of Russian mass culture. Her filmography spanned six decades and counted almost 100 movies, among them features by directors Nikita Mikhalkov, Alexei German and Eldar Ryazanov.
Gurchenko is survived by her husband, producer Sergei Senin, a daughter and a granddaughter. A source close to the family told Interfax that Gurchenko is likely to be buried at Moscow's Novodevichye Cemetery on Monday.