Farewell at First Athens Cemetery

The political funeral of Betty Valasi was held on Monday morning, 19 October 2026, at the First Athens Cemetery. She died on Thursday, 15 October 2026, at the age of 89. Relatives, friends, colleagues and a large crowd gathered to say goodbye. According to an official KKE announcement, her family, colleagues and friends chose a political funeral to honour her long and uncompromising path through theatre, television and social struggles. The party sent a wreath to the cemetery, and Dimitris Koutsoumbas, its general secretary, was among those arriving shortly after 11.00.

Journalist and writer Semina Digeni and actress Anna Fonsou were also named among the people present. Actor Thodoris Katsafados described Valasi as one of the most exuberant and authentic figures of Greek acting.

Two roles, one legacy

Digeni, together with Koutsoumbas, stressed her double identity: a leading actress who marked an entire era as Loxandra, and a fighter who took an active part in social struggles. Spyros Bimbilas, president of SEH, pointed to her emblematic presence in theatre and television and to the fact that she remained a fighter until the end of her life. Anna Fonsou, speaking on behalf of the artistic profession that loved her deeply, focused on her strong personality, her talent and her contribution. Taken together, the tributes portrayed a performer who never compromised, a description the KKE statement also used for her path.

Career milestones

Valasi was born on 10 January 1937 in Thessaloniki, under the real name Despoina. Her first stage appearance came in 1961 at the Kalouta theatre, beside Karolos Koun and Mairi Aroni, where she played Pallas Athena in the satirical trilogy Odyssey by Manolis Skouloudis. Between 1960 and 2004 she appeared in at least 14 Greek feature films, working with established directors. Her widest recognition came from the lead role in the ERT series Loxandra, broadcast in 1980, which reports describe as the last black-and-white television series of Greek television.

Early life

She was born to parents who were refugees from Asia Minor, and reports note that an uncle of her father was killed by Turks in 1922. Her parents separated when she was still young. Her father stayed in Katerini, where he set up a tobacco production unit, as his family had run in Asia Minor, while her mother moved to Athens. For many years she travelled by train between Athens and Katerini to see both parents.

Final years

In recent years she faced serious health problems, and in the last period she lived at the House of the Fighter, the institution named in every report. People who knew her through her personal life and her career came to the cemetery for the ceremony. The reports describe her as leaving behind a substantial artistic legacy of performances that shaped Greek theatre and television. Her political funeral on Monday, 19 October 2026, was the public farewell the reports covered.