DUSHANBE -- Prominent Tajik actress Musharrafa Qosimova, known as "the mother of Tajik theater," has died at the age of 100 in Dushanbe.
Qosimova's granddaughter, journalist Shamsiya Qosim, told RFE/RL on April 2 that her grandmother died overnight.
Tajik Culture Minister Shamsiddin Orumbekzoda said Qosimova's death was "a huge loss for Tajik culture and Tajik people in general."
Qosimova was born in 1918 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and started her career as a theater actress in 1937 at the Tajik State Drama Theater in Dushanbe.
She gained prominence by playing key roles in such plays as Wedding, Mother, The Order Of Kadushoh, Mount Fuji's Peak, Life And Love, and I Wrote A Letter.
Qosimova was also known for her performances in such movies as Nisso, Dohunda, My Friend Novruzov, Meeting In The Gorge Of Death, and Nasreddin's Youth.
Qosimova's funeral is due to be held on April 2.