Did depression kill Wiam?
The 34-yead-old celebrity died on Sunday of cardiac arrest and was buried in Abu Dhabi
Cyber bullying could be among the factors that triggered depression in the Moroccan actress Wiam Al Dahmani, who died on Sunday at the age of 34.
The TV presenter, singer and actress’ body was found on Monday by her mother in her hotel room in Abu Dhabi.
The hotel made several attempts to reach her, but when there was no response, her mother was called. She entered the room to find Al Dahmani had died.
Police said Al Dahmani, who was buried in Abu Dhabi, had suffered a cardiac arrest.
In her last interview, Al Dahmani spoke about her depression and how thoughts of suicide kept coming to her. The actress, who was in tears, explained that she could not stand the mean and negative comments from people on social media. She said social media users make a celebrity’s life unbearable.
‘WATCH YOUR WORDS’
Mariam Hussain, a friend of Al Dahmani and a celebrity, shared her grief on Snapchat. She blamed social media users for the death of Al Dahmani.
“I cannot believe Wiam is dead. She recently told me that she was very tired and depressed, and could not bear the negative comments by people on her social media accounts,” Hussain said.
Addressing cyber bullies said added: “Your words and comments can torment a person. And as your negative comments and fake stories mount, suicidal ideas become a solution. Watch your words.”
Another celebrity Lojain Omran posted on her Snapchat saying that Al Dahmani recently closed comments on her social media accounts because of the bullying.
Omran said Al Dahmani’s depression and death reminded her of American actor Robin Williams, who struggled with depression throughout much of his adult life.
Ahlam, a popular Emirati singer, posted on Instagram: “Wiam rest in peace.”
In minutes, trolls came after Ahlam, asking why she was condoling the Moroccan actress, criticising Al Dahmani for the way she dressed and carried herself, saying that is violated decent norms of living. Ahlam then blocked the users and said she was surprised at the cruelty of people that they did not spare a young woman even in death or respect her family’s grief.
Marwa Ratib, a Syrian actress popular in the UAE, posted a video where she was seen crying and defending Al Dahmani. Ratib said that she had the heart of a child and was very kind and devout person. “You are judging someone you don’t know,” she said.
Al Dahmani was apparently preparing to present a show this Ramadan.
The actress made her movie debut with 2013 Pakistani film Ishq Khuda. She also acted in a few other Pakistani films, including Hotal and Hijrat.
She lived in Dubai and was known for being able to speak and sing in Hindi. She hosted many TV programmes related to Bollywood movies and worked as a talk show presenter on Zee Aflam, an Indiabased satellite television channel based in Dubai.
Al Dahmani also released an Arabic music video titled Ahlan Wa Sahlan (Welcome), which was shot in Chennai, India.