Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, a noted practitioner and promoter of classical Cambodian dance and who was also the eldest daughter of Cambodia’s late King Norodom Sihanouk, died Nov. 18 at a hospital in Thailand. She was 76.
Cambodia’s Constitutional Council, of which she was a member, announced the death but did not disclose other details. Buppha Devi was the half sister of the country’s current king, Norodom Sihamoni.
Buppha Devi was the daughter of Sihanouk’s first wife, the late Phat Kanthol, to whom he was briefly married. She learned dance as a child and became lead dancer in the royal troupe by 16. In that capacity, she played a major role in her father’s cultural diplomacy, especially in presenting shows for visiting foreign leaders, including France’s Charles de Gaulle and Indonesia’s Sukarno.
