Gianni Versace was born in December 1946 in Reggio di Calabria, Italy. Besides him, there were two more children in the family. His father, Antonio, worked as a salesman household appliances, then an economist, advised many aristocratic families in Italy. And her mother, Francesca, ran her own tailoring workshop. Since childhood, Gianni was close to his mother, played with scraps of fabric, and when he grew up a little, he began to sew dolls; at the age of 9, he sewed his first dress, an evening dress, lined with velvet.
Gianni worked in his mother's clothing workshop until he was 25 years old. “I learned everything I know about fashion from my mother,” he said many years later. But the relationship with his mother was not always smooth; even in childhood, she singled out his older brother, not Gianni. “I don’t know, maybe this is the meaning of my life and my work - to get her attention!” - Gianni said when he was already a famous fashion designer. But his mother always remained the main teacher of tailoring for him.
Creation famous brand Versace.
At the age of 25, Gianni moved to Milan. He begins to collaborate with the Santa Margherita store, for which he sews his models. He then worked for the famous Italian fashion houses Genny, Callaghan and Complice. And in 1978 he created his own fashion house – Versace, which started with a boutique on Via Spiga in Milan. For his fashion house, Gianni Versace chooses the head of Medusa as a trademark, a certain symbol, because it is “a synthesis of beauty and simplicity, which literally paralyzes and even hypnotizes.” It is the head of Medusa that has been depicted on everything created by Versace since 1978.
And he created quite a lot. In addition to producing clothes, he was also involved in the production of theatrical props, accessories, perfumes, watches, and porcelain. He also created entire interiors from Versace.
Gianni Versace has been awarded the prestigious Golden Thimble design award more than once. He received his first Golden Thimble in 1982, when he brought models wearing aluminum dresses (clothing made of aluminum mesh) onto the catwalk.
The house of Versace creates incredible and beautiful outfits for women. Princess Diana appeared in public more than once in Versace dresses in the 1990s.
And it was Gianni Versace who was one of the first to highlight his own, and it was thanks to him that the concept of a supermodel appeared. It was he who began to pay double and triple fees to individual participants in his shows and enter into long-term contracts with them.
But in his personal life, the paths of Gianni Versace and the women diverged. Versace has never hidden the fact that he is gay. His life partner was fashion designer Antonio D'Amico, with whom they lived together for 11 years.
The life of this, now beyond doubt, great couturier of the twentieth century was interrupted unexpectedly and absurdly. But at the same time leaving many reasons for rumors and mysteries. In July 1997, Gianni Versace left his Miami villa to buy magazines. He was shot by Andrew Cunanan and then committed suicide. Most likely, he was just a loner. But many also recalled rumors that the House of Versace was allegedly created with money from the mafia.
Gianni Versace was buried on the shores of Lake Como (northern Italy), where during his lifetime he loved to spend time with his friends - Elton John, George Michael, Madonna.
Versace's younger sister is Donatella.
Donatella Versace was born on May 2, 1956. She is 10 years younger than her brother. By the time Gianni Versace became famous, Donatella had graduated from university and began working for her brother. Gianni repeatedly called her his Muse. The older brother, who was in charge of the company’s finances, also worked with them. Donatella was doing PR. It was she who owned the idea, along with the models, as well. Thanks to Donatella, Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Catherine Zeta-Jones more than once participated in Versace shows.
Donatella was also involved in design - first of accessories, then of the Versace Young children's line. And then for a long time she was the designer of the Versus line, a line of youth clothing.
After Versace's death, it was Donatella who headed the fashion house he created. And a year later they came out new collection, for which she was the designer. Initially the collection was received lukewarmly. But Donatella did not give up, and soon success awaited her. She did not strive to repeat her brother, but at the same time she always preserved the spirit of the Versace fashion house. And today Donatella is a recognized and respected designer in the fashion world.
Gianni Versace
Subject mysterious death famous fashion designer Gianni Versace has haunted many researchers for 19 years. July 15, 1997 fashion designer shot on the steps of his Miami mansion. The killer was found very quickly, but before his arrest he committed suicide. According to the official version, the motive for the crime was homosexual acts, but this explanation does not sound convincing. Very little is still known about the real reasons for the murder.
Andrew Cunanan
Andrew Cunanan
The murder case of Gianni Versace was solved surprisingly quickly - in just two weeks. The killer was serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who already had four victims. He made his living through prostitution, and, according to one version, all those killed were his lovers. He was wanted, but the police were unable to detain him. Suspicion fell on him when a van containing clothes with traces of the blood of the serial killer's last victim was found near the Versace mansion. All the evidence pointed too clearly to a single suspect. IN suicide note he allegedly admitted that he killed the fashion designer as a "banner of homosexuality." But the killer himself was a representative gay, and therefore this explanation sounds illogical. The real motive for the crime remained unclear.
The Versace mansion in Miami, near which the murder was committed
Private detective Frank Mont is confident that the southern Italian criminal group N'drangetta was involved in the murder of Versace. According to him, the designer was killed because he dared to challenge the mafia. The murder was organized so that suspicion would fall on a serial killer, whose suicide was later staged. The detective claims that several months before his death, Versace contacted his agency with a request to conduct an investigation. He suspected that the mafia had infiltrated his business for the purpose of money laundering. The fashion designer allegedly planned to hold a press conference at the end of summer and announce the names of the criminals.
The designer was from Calabria, and even during Versace’s lifetime there were rumors about his connections with the Calabrian mafia. His rise was too rapid and sudden, which led fashion historians to speculate about the help of sponsors from the underworld. Where did the young designer come from? start-up capital, and how he was able to open own house fashion is truly a mystery. Perhaps it was the money of a southern Italian criminal group, with which the couturier later did not want to share his income. A year before Versace's death, a scandal erupted in which many designers were involved, whose fashion houses were fronts for laundering mafia money. Gianni was also accused, but he himself categorically denied his connections with the criminal world.
Gianni Versace
The great couturier, the mystery of whose death has not yet been revealed
The Calabrian mafia often traded in counterfeiting famous brands, and when Versace gained worldwide popularity, factories producing counterfeit goods appeared in Italy. Versace declared war on underground factories: due to cheap counterfeits that flooded the market, his brand was losing prestige. In addition, he lost hundreds of millions of dollars: in 1995-1996. the turnover of counterfeit products was two-thirds higher than the income of the Versace Fashion House. The designer collaborated with the Yellow Flame, the anti-corruption police, and personally participated in investigations exposing the activities of underground factories. Versace brand emblem for a long time there was a Gorgon Medusa, but since it was the one most often counterfeited, the couturier publicly abandoned this emblem.
The great couturier, the mystery of whose death has not yet been revealed
Of course, the Calabrian mafia could not help but react to such violent resistance and opposition. Repeatedly, Versace received peculiar black marks: once, in his garden, he found a dead bird, then - dead dog. But the designer was not stopped by these warnings. He was a fatalist and believed that fate could not be avoided. Versace did not use security services and often went out unaccompanied. Therefore, it was not difficult for the killer to carry out his plan.
Gianni Versace
Famous Italian fashion designer
However, if this was truly the work of the mafia, why did they entrust the murder not to a hitman, but to a mentally unstable serial killer? Obviously, this mystery is still far from its final solution.
The first season of American Crime Story focused on the case of former American football player OJ Simpson, who was convicted in 1994 of murdering his wife and her boyfriend and sentenced to 33 years. (In the middle of last year former athlete was released on parole).
The new series will tell the story of the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace, who died at the hands of young man named Andrew Cunanan, a serial killer who seduced respectable rich men.
The filming of the second season of The Assassination of Gianni Versace was closely monitored. The fashion designer himself was played by an actor of Venezuelan origin, Edgar Ramirez, the role of Gianni Versace's long-term partner Antonio D'Amico went to Ricky Martin (the artists, by the way, are close friends in real life), and Andrew Cunanan was portrayed in the series by the young musical actor Darren Criss, known for the series “Glee.” ”(it was produced by the same Ryan Murphy who also produces “American Crime Story”).
Reuters Musician Sting with his wife Trudy Tyler, Princess Welsh Diana and Elton John pay tribute to Gianni Versace at Milan Cathedral, July 22, 1997
Even during preparation for filming, everyone was worried about the question of who would play Donatella Versace. At first it was assumed that the role would go to Lady Gaga (a good friend of Donatella Versace), but series producer Ryan Murphy decided that it would be more correct to give it to Penelope Cruz. As a result, the actress tried on a platinum-colored wig, mastered Donatella Versace’s Italian accent, and most importantly, tried to play the controversial role as delicately as possible: “This is a delicate story, because I play a living woman who lost her brother under monstrous circumstances and who still misses him, despite the fact that 20 years have passed,” she said in a conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow for Interview magazine.
In preparation for the role, Penelope Cruz talked a little with Donatella Versace herself - as she said in an interview with Vogue magazine, she needed this conversation. “I really hope that when she sees the series, she enjoys it. I'm sure some of the scenes will be hard for her to watch because a lot of them deal with the death of her brother, which I have a lot of respect for. I did this with great love“,” Cruz said.
However, on the eve of the series' release, love was called into question.
Reuters Gianni Versace's villa in Miami Beach shortly after his murder, 1997
On December 8, Gianni Versace's family released a statement claiming that the series should be considered fiction. “The family of Gianni Versace did not authorize or participate in any way in the filming of the upcoming series about the death of Mr. Gianni Versace,” said a statement released through the House of Versace. “Because Versace did not authorize the book on which the series is partly based, and did not participate in the writing of the script, the show can only be considered a work of fiction.”
Series producer Ryan Murphy strongly disagrees with this. "The Versace family said it was fiction, but it's not fiction," he told Entertainment Weekly. — [The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American history Crimes] was based on the non-fiction book by Jeffrey Toobin. Versace is based on a non-fiction book by Maurit Orth, which has been discussed, meticulously analyzed and revised for almost 20 years. She worked for Vanity Fair. Maureen Orth is an impeccable reporter, and we're sticking to her story. Our series is based on her data, so in that sense it is not fiction, it is a work of popular science, of course, with elements of docudrama. Documentary We didn't."
At the series premiere on Tuesday, January 9, Ryan Murphy told the audience that on the eve of the event, Donatella Versace sent Penelope Cruz a huge bouquet of flowers. The actress herself told WWD that she admires Donatella Versace's passion for the cause and the success she has led the brand to: "She had to do this at a time of devastation, and she proved that she Strong woman. It was very generous of her, because I’m sure she did it for him, too.”
“Look, it might be too painful for her to watch, but I think we handled her story very carefully and with respect for her sense of self,” Ryan Murphy added at the premiere.
More than twenty years have passed since the death of the famous fashion designer, but passions have not subsided to this day. It would seem that the criminal was found quickly and the case was closed, but surviving the consequences of the tragedy turned out to be too difficult a task for the whole world. The murder of Versace, who bled to death on the threshold of his own luxurious villa, was the latest in a series committed by the “American Gigolo” Andrew Cunanan.
"I am a banker. I'm a stockbroker. Journalist. Cop. Naval officer. Sometimes I'm a spy. I build movie sets in Mexico City and skyscrapers in Chicago. I sell propane in Minneapolis and import pineapples from the Philippines. You know, I’m the one who’s least likely to be forgotten,” is one of the most powerful monologues from Darren Chris, the actor who played the role bloody maniac Andrew Cunanan in the TV series American Murder Story.
And it is impossible not to agree with his words, because we are still puzzling over the motives of the killer, whose fifth (and last) victim was the great couturier. A psychological picture the criminal resembles a complex puzzle, in which key parts are clearly missing. Do you believe in existence serial maniac, who grew up in love and saw nothing shameful in his gay orientation? And yet he actually existed...
Prince Andrew
Andrew Philip Cunanan was born on August 31, 1969 in California. The smart, lively baby (by the way, the fourth child in the family) was the favorite of his parents, who spoiled him as best they could. The older siblings were jealous of the younger one and teased him about Prince Andrew. It is not difficult to guess that the publication of the brilliant results of the IQ test - the boy scored 147 points - did not contribute to the growth of brotherly love, but it delighted his mother and father. Andrew learned through play; he found it especially easy to foreign languages- By the age of 21, he spoke seven fluently.
As a child, Cunanan constantly lied with inspiration: he kept talking at school about how rich his family was, and how his father and mother adore each other (in fact, at that time, the marriage of Mary Ann and Modesto already existed only on paper). In defense of the boy, let's say that he just wanted his beloved parents to stop quarreling, and his dad really did not spare money on his education - unlike his older brothers and sisters who attended the most ordinary school, younger son was sent to the prestigious private Bishop's School.
In that educational institution As Andrew grew up, he felt like a fish out of water. Judge for yourself: he didn’t even try to hide his non-standard sexual orientation from his classmates. It seems that everyone knew about Cunanan’s homosexuality...except his relatives. He preferred not to say anything to them for the time being.
Agree that, given this information, the posthumous note in which Cunanan admits that he killed Gianni Versace because he was considered the “banner of homosexuality” seems strange!
At 15, the young man looked much older than his age - brilliant manners, high intelligence and the ability to present oneself coupled with excellent physical fitness made a strong impression on the new friends Cunanan made in the bars and clubs of San Diego.
The parents were sure that their son would one day become a famous historian, but Andrew, although he entered the corresponding faculty of the University of California, preferred to study not antiquity or the Renaissance, but exclusively recent history. Moreover, he did this at night, making more and more new acquaintances in the homosexual community. There the young man found a source of permanent income - he boldly exchanged his youth and beauty for banknotes, which elderly influential “daddies” gave him.
Rich lovers also provided him with access to high society: now Cunanan was looking for new patrons at social parties. They say that this is how he met Versace.
Gianni and young Andrew met at one of these parties. Versace was the first to speak to the young man, and then drove him home in his limousine. It is not known for certain whether they entered into an intimate relationship. According to rumors, Andrew was completely delighted and proudly told his friends that he had met the one he so wanted to be like. However fashion house officially denied the information that Gianni Versace knew his killer.
Carrot without a stick
Cunanan moved to San Francisco. He tried his best to meet Hollywood stars and get at least some role, but none of the attempts were successful. Andrew, who each time performed under a new false name, realized his acting ambitions in ordinary life, pretending to be naval officer, then the wealthy heir of a plantation owner somewhere in the Philippines.
Later, he did star in several films, but these were adult films in which Cunanan played the role of a sex slave. At first, directors working for the BDSM community were in great demand for the charming handsome man. However, he clearly did not have enough money, so Andrew began selling illegal substances.
It was in San Francisco that Cunanan would meet his two future victims - the young and handsome naval officer Geoffrey Traill, with whom he would fall in love, and the respectable architect David Madson, who became his sponsor for some time.
By the age of 27, Cunanan suddenly realized that his Dolce Vita was going downhill. Beauty and charm faded, a new generation of young gigolos grew up, and against their background, Andrew, who had seen a lot, did not look very attractive. Those who wanted to support the toy boy who had lost his freshness disappeared...
The money from selling drugs was not enough to lead the same luxurious lifestyle. Health problems were added to financial problems. At least that’s what it seemed to Cunanan, who discovered the first symptoms of HIV. Starting in 1997, he regularly took tests, but never received their results. The former darling of fate began to experience depression, he gained 15 kilograms and continued to gain weight.
Double trouble
Morally crushed Andrew once visited Minneapolis ex-lover- the same architect David Madson - and found out that he had become friends with Geoffrey Traill (with whom he himself also had an affair). Cunanan was jealous of both. He felt doubly betrayed. Compared to the successful and accomplished “ex”, Andrew seemed especially pathetic and worthless.
He tried many times to get the couple to have a frank conversation and in the end was able to invite himself to visit David. Friends dissuaded the architect from this venture, convincing him that Cunanan was dangerous guy, but he didn’t believe them.
On April 27, 1997, they finally met, but nothing good came out of their conversation. Andrew's suspicions that his exes were more than just friends were confirmed: Jeffrey Taylor was also present at the meeting. The conversation in the kitchen quickly turned into a serious quarrel. Word for word - and Andrew came across a hammer...
Then the forensic expert will count over 25 blows on the victim’s body. And Cunanan and Madson will roll Jeffrey Trail's body into a Persian carpet and... spend a couple more days in the apartment next to the corpse. They will then get into the architect's red jeep and try to drive as far away from the crime scene as possible.
David Madson was suspect No. 1 in the Trail murder case (the police simply did not know that Cunanan had also been in the apartment). Literally two days later, it became clear that everything was not so simple: 75 km from Minneapolis, David’s body was found with three gunshot wounds. And in Madson’s apartment they found a bag containing Cunanan’s business card.
The "invisible" killer
The following deaths fit into the series with great difficulty: why Andrew killed Chicago millionaire Lee Miglin (who, by the way, meekly let the criminal into the house) remains a mystery. We will not list everything that Cunanan did to his victim, we will only note that even regular filming in films for BDSM lovers cannot explain his bestial cruelty. Then it will be the turn of cemetery worker William Riis, with whom nothing connected the killer.
Subsequent events were reminiscent of the plot of a film about the invisible man: a serial killer put on the federal wanted list, for whose capture teams of the best specialists from ten states, seemed to disappear into the crowd, despite all the efforts of the police.
The last victim of the maniac was the famous couturier: he was shot on July 15, 1997 on the threshold of his own villa in Miami. Antonio Domico, the fashion designer's lover, saw the criminal running away.
They promised money for help in catching the serial killer, Andrew's photograph was published in all newspapers, posted on the Internet and shown on television, leaflets with his image were distributed in bars. The FBI even asked for help from organizations that unite sexual minorities. There was also a special show with the participation of a psychic (in fairness, we note that one of his assumptions turned out to be correct). But Cunanan disappeared into thin air.
By the way, the word “how” was not entirely appropriate here, because he actually settled on a yacht that served as a floating hotel. The police got to Andrew too late and he committed suicide.
When the FBI declassified the case of Andrew Cunanan in 1999, it turned out that the investigation could not establish why he killed Gianni Versace. The version that the killer was taking revenge on those who could have infected him with HIV can hardly be considered convincing (in fact, he was healthy, this information was confirmed by pathologists).
Former agent FBI, renowned criminologist Robert C. Ressler stated that “In the mind of Andrew Cunanan, Versace was the personification of fame, wealth, fame, power... What he unsuccessfully strived for all his life. The murder of Versace is a kind of revenge for this.” Perhaps in these arguments, which are not based on sexual orientation killers and victims, there is some truth: some media wrote that the maniac adored this brand, while others wrote that he hated it.
1943−1969
Actress and model, murdered by members of the Charles Manson cult
The tragedy that happened to the 26-year-old beautiful actress shocked all of Hollywood. Sharon, wife of director Roman Polanski, while on last month pregnancy, was stabbed to death by members of the sect of the famous maniac Charles Manson. At the time of the gang attack, three other friends were in Sharon's house - all became victims of the fanatical criminal commune "Family". The brutality of the murder shocked even America, which was accustomed to many things, and later it turned out that the criminals did not even know who exactly their victims were.
Manson himself and seven members of his sect, who participated in other ritual murders, were sentenced to life. Polanski, who initially spoke to journalists about the murder of his pregnant wife, later left America for several years.
Manson himself is now serving a life sentence. Two and a half years ago, Manson announced that he would marry his fan, 26-year-old Afton Barton, but the engagement broke down: the maniac learned that the girl planned to embalm his body after death and sell it for money.
Popular
JonBenet Ramsey
1990−1996
Winner of children's beauty contests
December 25, 1996 terrible tragedy originated in the family of computer tycoon John Ramsey and his wife Patricia, a former beauty pageant star. On Christmas night, the body of their six-year-old daughter JonBenet Ramsey was found in the basement of her home.
That day, the parents put the girl to bed, and a little later they found a note on the stairs that their daughter had been kidnapped with a bail requirement of $118,000. JonBenét has held the titles "Little Miss Colorado", "Tiny Belle of the Nation" and "Colorado Cover Girl". It is obvious that the criminal deliberately chose this popular little girl as a victim. However, the kidnapper never contacted the parents, and later the couple found the girl already dead in the basement.
It is believed that JonBenet was strangled and there were large bruises on her body. The police initially suspected the girl’s parents, but after a DNA examination was carried out based on traces of blood on the girl’s clothes, all suspicions disappeared from the spouses. Father JonBenet hired investigators, but, unfortunately, the killer has not yet been found.
John Ramsey would later write a book, The Other Side of Suffering, in which he blamed himself for allowing his daughter to become vulnerable: “Why did we have parties in our house that we allowed strangers? I will never forgive myself for this... I had to raise all my relatives and friends to their feet, attract all possible resources to find the killer. He was hiding in the dark. He's still hiding somewhere..."
Gianni Versace
1946−1997
Fashion designer
Designer Gianni Versace was shot twice in the head on July 15, 1997. serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The founder of the Versace fashion house died on the threshold of his villa, where he lived with fashion designer Antonio d'Amico. The reasons for the brutal massacre still remain a mystery, which Cunanan took with him to the grave. Two months after the crime, he shot himself on his own yacht while surrounded by police. However, it is known that four more people became victims of the 25-year-old drug dealer, including his own lover.
Since then, many versions of the couturier’s death have been put forward - from revenge Italian mafia before being involved in the order younger sister designer Donatella, who inherited her brother's fashion empire.
Elizabeth Short
1924- 1947
Waitress and actress
A simple American girl from large family crossed the whole country, dreaming of becoming famous Hollywood actress. But fame found Elizabeth after her painful and terrible death at the hands of a never-caught maniac. Elizabeth's naked body, mutilated and cut in half, was discovered on January 15, 1947, in a vacant lot on the outskirts of Los Angeles. The 22-year-old girl's face was also cut up.
Journalists covering the investigation nicknamed the deceased beauty the Black Dahlia, and under such a romantic name the aspiring actress remained in American history. During the investigation into the Short case, more than 60 people, men and women, confessed to killing the girl, but their testimony was found to be false. The mystery of the death of the Black Dahlia still attracts mystery lovers. For example, private detective from Los Angeles Steve Hodel, who was a child during the high-profile investigation, studied the case material and came to the conclusion that the killer was... him own father! According to the detective, his father was a serial maniac, and it was suspicions about his involvement in the Dahlia case that forced Hodel to conduct his own investigation.
The story of the Black Dahlia, among many other artists, was inspired by musician Marilyn Manson when creating his paintings.
Pier Paolo Pasolini
1922−1975
Director
The author of the cult films “The Gospel of Matthew”, “The Decameron”, “The Canterbury Tales” and the film “Lard, or the 120 Days of Sodom”, which was released in the year of his death, became a victim of a neo-fascist group. A gang of four nationalist teenagers, one of whom was never caught, attacked Pasolini on a November night in a Rome suburb. The director had half of his ribs, jaw and arm broken, his ears mutilated, the killers crushed the body of the already deceased Pasolini with a car... The convicted young people, much later, changed their testimony several times, confusing the investigation.
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