His family asked fans and friends to pray for him as they began the procedures required to return his remains to Cairo.
Mohsen Sarhan, the deceased’s cousin, revealed details of Yahya’s final wishes, saying he had asked to be buried next to his father, legendary Egyptian actor Shukri Sarhan.
He also requested that his funeral reception be held at Al-Kawakibi Mosque in Cairo’s Agouza district, the same venue where condolences had previously been received following the death of his brother Salah.
Mohsen said Yahya had also asked him to look after his son Karim, describing the request as one of the last things his cousin told him.
He added that their conversations in recent weeks had occasionally touched on death and the possibility that his life might be nearing its end.
The family is now working to complete the legal and logistical procedures needed to bring Yahya’s body back from Australia and fulfill his wish to be laid to rest beside his father.