Patrizia Reggiani married Gucci heir Maurizio Gucci in 1972, though they eventually divorced
NEED TO KNOW
In 1995, Gucci was killed by a hitman who was hired by Reggiani
She served 18 years in prison for murder before being released in 2016
Patrizia Reggianiwent from being known as Lady Gucci to "La Vedova Nera" — the Black Widow.
The Italian socialite became one-half of a fashion power couple when she marriedMaurizio Gucci, the heir to the Gucci brand, in 1972. The couple went on to live a lavish, jet-setting lifestyle, complete with homes in New York and Milan and vacations aboard their mega-yacht. They welcomed two daughters together, Alessandra and Allegra.
However, their marriage eventually soured. In 1985, Mauriziowalked out on her, and in 1993, mounting debts forced him to sell Gucci to a Bahrain-based investment firm.
"I was angry with Maurizio about many, many things at that time," Patrizia toldThe Guardianin 2016. "But above all, this. Losing the family business. It was stupid. It was a failure. I was filled with rage, but there was nothing I could do."
But then, on March 27, 1995 — one year after their divorce was finalized —Maurizio was shot dead by a hitmanwhile walking into his Milan office. Two years later, Patrizia was arrested and charged with orchestrating the murder-for-hire — changing her persona from "Lady Gucci" to the "Black Widow."
She was convicted of premeditated murder in 1998 and sentenced to 29 years in prison.
So where is Patrizia Reggiani now? Here's everything to know about her life after serving time in prison for the murder of her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci.
Who is Patrizia Reggiani?
Patrizia was born on Dec. 2, 1948, in Vignola, Italy. According toTIME, she grew up poor, and her biological father was not in the picture. But when Patrizia was 12, her mother married a wealthy entrepreneur named Ferdinando Reggiani, who adopted Patrizia as his own.
From that point on, Patrizia lived an affluent lifestyle, her stepfather spoiling her with fur coats and luxury cars,The Guardianreported.
She became a socialite in Milan but had difficulty breaking into the most elite circles, according to TIME, until she met Maurizio — the heir to the house of Gucci — at a party in 1970.
How long were Patrizia Reggiani and Maurizio Gucci married?
After a two-year courtship, Patrizia and Maurizio married on Oct. 28, 1972, in Milan. The fashion power couple became fixtures in both Milan and Manhattan's social scene, frequently socializing withJackie Kennedy Onassisand other members of the Kennedy clan.
Their luxurious lifestyle didn't stop there: Patrizia and Maurizio were chauffeured around Manhattan in a vehicle notorious for its vanity plate, which read "Mauizia."
They owned multiple vacation homes, including a ski chalet in St. Moritz, a getaway in Mexico and a farm in Connecticut, according toThe Guardian. Maurizio even purchased a yacht following Allegra's birth, and the family used it to travel to private islands.
"We were a beautiful couple and we had a beautiful life, of course," Patrizia toldThe Guardianin 2016.
But that all changed abruptly in 1985, when Maurizio told Patrizia he was traveling for a business trip — and never returned. Instead, he sent a friend to tell Patrizia that their marriage was over. Their divorce was made official nearly a decade later, in 1994.
The divorce was so lengthy, in part, because Patrizia refused to settle. When Maurizio offered to pay her 2.5 million euros plus 650,000 euros in yearly alimony, Patrizia rejected the deal — referring to the amount as "a mere bowl of lentils,"The Guardianreported.
In their final settlement, Maurizio agreed to pay his ex-wife $1.5 million a year for the rest of her life, among other conditions, according toThe Telegraph.
One of those conditions involved Patrizia losing her most precious asset: The legal right to use the Gucci name. Patrizia's close friend, Pina Auriemma, toldDatelinethat the former Lady Gucci was "more sad and sorry about losing her name" than losing her husband.
At the time of their divorce, Patrizia was also reportedly bitter over Maurizio's business dealings (he lost the family business, selling Gucci to Investcorp in 1993 for $120 million, according toThe Guardian) and his personal life (Maurizio had a new, live-in girlfriend, Paola Franchi).
"Patrizia was stalking us," Franchi toldThe Guardian. "She called many times abusing him and threatening to kill him."
What happened to Maurizio Gucci?
As Maurizio walked into his Milan office building on the morning of March 27, 1995, a well-dressed hired hitman fired two shots — hitting the fashion mogul in the back and shoulder. The gunman then fatally shot Maurizio in the face before fleeing the scene.
"It was clearly a premeditated murder," Italian police Maj. Paolo La Forgia told PEOPLE about Maurizio's death.
Patrizia's actions after his death raised some red flags, including filing a legal claim within three hours of Maurizio's murder to have his girlfriend Franchi removed from the apartment they shared,The Guardianreported.
Advertisement
"I was very happy because all my problems were gone," Patrizia later said onPeople Magazine Investigates: Crimes of Fashionin 2018.
However, at the time, police had nothing to tie Patrizia to the crime — and the investigation stalled for more than a year.
What was Patrizia Reggiani convicted of?
Patrizia was arrested in January 1997, after an anonymous caller tipped off police that an accomplice had bragged about arranging Maurizio's murder with Pina Auriemma, Patrizia's best friend and psychic.
The tip led authorities to launch a sting operation where Patrizia and her four accomplices — Auriemma, a friend of her's who hired the hitman, the getaway driver and the hitman himself — eventually discussed the crime on wiretapped phones,The Guardianreported.
The trial of Patrizia and her accomplices began in May 1998. Patrizia's lawyers claimed that she was mentally unstable due to a 1992 operation on a brain tumor, according toThe New York Times.
Her lawyers also alleged that it was Auriemma who had hired the hitman and then blackmailed Patrizia into keeping quiet.
In November 1998, after a five-month trial, Patrizia and her four accomplices were found guilty of premeditated murder. Patrizia was sentenced to 29 years in prison.
Where is Patrizia Reggiani now?
Patrizia had her first opportunity to be released from prison in 2011 — but declined, since a condition of her parole was getting a job.
"I've never worked in my life and I don't intend to start now," she reportedly told her lawyer, perThe Guardian.
But by 2014, Patrizia had a change of heart and revealed she was willing to work at Gucci, of all places. That year, she told Italy'sLa Repubblicanewspaper that she was available to work and hoped to return to her ex-husband's former company.
"They need me," she said, perThe Guardian. "I still feel like a Gucci — in fact, the most Gucci of them all."
Patrizia did not end up working at Gucci, however. Instead, in April 2014, she was granted day release from prison and took a parole job as a design consultant for Bozart, a costume jewelry firm based in Milan, according toThe Guardian.
By October 2016, Patrizia had finished her parole on credit for good behavior and was officially free from prison. She had served 18 years of her reduced 26-year sentence and was 67 years old. Upon her release, she went to live in a Milan townhouse with her mother, who later died in 2019.
Though Patrizia has maintained that she was wrongfully convicted, her statements to the press over the years leave cause for confusion.
One such statement came in 2014, when a camera crew from an Italian reality television show stopped Patrizia outside her workplace and asked her why she hired a hitman and didn't shoot Maurizio herself.
"My eyesight is not so good," Patrizia infamously responded, perThe Guardian. "I didn't want to miss."
Did Patrizia Reggiani receive money from Gucci's estate?
An Italian court ruled in February 2017 that, despite being convicted of her husband's murder, Patrizia was still entitled to receive more than $1 million annually from Maurizio's estate,The Telegraphreported.
The appeals court ruled in favor of Patrizia due to an agreement that Maurizio signed in 1993, two years prior to his death. In addition to the annual payments, Patrizia was also entitled to back payments for the 18 years she spent in prison, which totaled more than $20 million.
The payments to Patrizia come from her late ex-husband's estate, which is managed by her daughters.
What did Patrizia Reggiani think ofHouse of Gucci?
Adam DriverandLady Gagabrought the story of Maurizio's murder and Patrizia's arrest to life on the big screen in 2021'sHouse of Gucci. The film received critical praise andaward nominations— but Patrizia was not pleased, particularly with Lady Gaga.
"I'mannoyed by the fact that Lady Gaga is portraying mein the new Ridley Scott film without even having the courtesy or the good sense to come and meet me," Patrizia toldAnsa, the Italian national news agency, ahead of the film's release.
She continued, "It's nothing to do with money because I won't be taking a single cent from the film. It's about common sense and respect."
"I believe that any good actor should first get to know the person that they are meant to be playing," Reggiani said, adding, "I think it is not right that I wasn't contacted. And I say this with all the sympathy and appreciation that I have for her."
Read the original article onPeople