Emilie Dequenne, the star of the BBC drama The Missing, passed away at 43 after a two-year battle with cancer. The award-winning Belgian actress was diagnosed with adrenocortical carcinoma, a rare cancer of the adrenal gland, in October 2023. By April 2024, she announced she was in remission and expressed her excitement about returning to acting, sharing on social media, “I was close to forgetting because I was leaving the hospital today after 13 days… What a tough battle.” Sadly, her cancer returned at the end of 2024, and by December, she revealed on the French television show TF1 that her health had worsened, saying,

“I know I will not live as long as planned.” Dequenne passed away on March 16 at a hospital near Paris. Her press representative, Charlotte Tourret, honored her on Instagram, writing, “Quelle injustice!! You have been an example to us all, with your extraordinary strength, your courage.” Tourret described her as an inspiring woman and a great actress, adding, “I love you forever my Emily.” Dequenne rose to fame at 17 with her role in Rosetta and starred in several notable French-language films, including The Girl on the Train (2009) and Our Children (2012). Her final project was the English-language film Survive, released last year. In one of her last interviews, she revealed she was unaware of her illness while filming. On World Cancer Day in February, she posted on Instagram, reflecting on her battle: “What a tough fight! And we don’t choose…”