Yekaterina Golubeva, the star of art house films and muse of Sharunas Bartas and Leos Carax, has died in France at the age of 44.

      French newspaper Liberation has reported the news of Golubeva's death, but the actress's agent wasn't able to tell the newspaper about the cause and circumstance of her death. 

      Golubeva was one of he few Russian actors to make a career in Europe. Being born in St. Petersburg, she made her name in the 1990s playing in films by her husband, the film director Sharunas Bartas - Three Days (1991), The Corridor (1995), Few of Us (1996). The last one was included in the special programme "Different Vision" of Cannes Film Festival.

      Later Golubeva met with the enfant terrible of French cinema Leos Carax, the creator of Boy Meets Girl and The Lovers on the Bridge. He said he fell for the Russian actress after watching her film, Three Days. She played in his drama Pola X where Golubeva’s screen partners were Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu’s son Guillaume.

      Her latest films were the dramas American Widow (2009) and The Funeral Party (2010).

      A mother of three children and one of Russia’s sexiest stars, Golubeva will be buried at the legendary Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

Sources: RIA Novosti Russia Today