Mavi Boncuk | Prominent Turkish journalist Leyla Umar passed away on Monday at the age of 87 in Istanbul at an old age care center,Suadiye Yaşlı Bakım Merkezi.
Born in 1927, Umar was being treated for Alzheimer's disease in her last years.
Starting her career as a reporter at Turkish daily Milliyet, Umar started her career in 1955 with the Milliyet newspaper and continued working for the daily until her retirement in 1977 and held the post of U.S. representative. She worked for four years at BBC Turkish and continued writing for Vatan daily.
Umar was famous for her interviews with prominent global figures, which included Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela, Yasser Arafat, Ayatollah Khomeini, Desmond Tutu, Princess Diana and Placido Domingo, İdi Amin, Carlos Menem, Raisa Gorbacheva, Felipe Gonzales, Julio Iglesias, Kirk Douglas, Diana Ross and Liza Minelli.
She was a permanent member of the Turkish Journalists' Association (TGC). Married 1950-1955 Mehmet Ali Ekşigil and 1958-1977 Refik Erduran.
Umar bequeathed a portion of her estate to help street children.
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