Aida Takla-O’Reilly Dies: Former Two-Time HFPA President Was Its Longest-Serving Member
deadline.comAida Takla-O’Reilly, the Egyptian journalist who was president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association twice and was its longest-serving member, died Sunday in Los Angeles.
The HFPA did not disclose her age or cause of death.Takla-O’Reilly joined the group behind the Golden Globes in 1956 and was elected as its president in 1994.
She would serve another two-year term in the office from 2011-13. She covered the entertainment industry for Egyptian magazine Nisf El Dunia and daily newspaper El Ahram.“She was a great listener, never judged, and always fought for the underdog,” said HFPA President Helen Hoehne, who was sponsored by Takla-O’Reilly when she applied to join the organization and maintained a special bond with her. “She was fearless and inspired others to be fearless – and to become leaders.
She had a fierce and deep loyalty to her friends and the people she loved.”Born in Cairo, she became Egypt’s youngest female commercial pilot at 16 and went on toe earn a master’s degree at UCLA and a doctorate from Sorbonne University in Paris.
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