Swedish Dolce Vita star Ekberg dies in Rome

The voluptuous film star died in a hospital just outside the Italian capital, according to the website of the daily La Repubblica, which broke the story.

A former Miss Sweden, she was branded a "sex goddess" for her performance in Federico Fellini's 1960 movie.

Ekberg was born in the southern Swedish port of Malmö, but had spent much of her life in the US and had been a longtime resident of Italy in the years before her death.

She had been in hospital since Christmas following a series of illnesses.

Read The Local's full obituary on Anita Ekberg