The mother of an iconic face that triggered the January 25 Revolution in 2011 died Sunday.

Laila Marzouk, the mother of slain Khaled Said, whose murder in June 2010 galvanised the protest movement and led the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution, passed away in the US as her health deteriorated after a battle with cancer.

The announcement was made on Facebook on Sunday by Said's sister, Zahraa, who now also lives in the US.

Said's murder by policemen who tortured him to death in June 2010 helped stir protests that led to the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak.

The case of 28-year-old Said ignited public anger and became a rallying cry against former autocrat Hosni Mubarak, as photographs of his disfigured face after torture circulated online.

Said was reportedly targeted after he posted internet video footage ostensibly showing policemen sharing the spoils of a drug bust.

A Facebook page set up in his memory — "We are all Khaled Said" — focused on human rights abuses by police, spearheading calls, along with other groupings, for protests during the 18-day uprising in 2011 that swept Mubarak from power.

The government's forensic authority had said that Said died after he choked on a packet of drugs.

In 2015, Egypt's Court of Cassation upheld 10-year prison terms against the two policemen involved, concluding the case that changed Egypt's course of history.