House of Gucci: Unbelievable real story behind star-studded film with Lady Gaga

The pair play Maurizio Gucci, the grandson of Gucci founder Guccio Gucci, and Patrizia Reggiani, his ex-wife. House of Gucci is the true crime fashion biopic directed by Ridley Scott which hits cinemas later this month. The film’s stellar cast also includes Salma Hayek, Jared Leto, Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons, among others. The story follows the glamorous lifestyles and bitter feuds between members of the Gucci family over three decades.

It is based on ‘House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed’, the book by Sara Gay Forden, published in 2000.

At the centre of the mystique around the iconic fashion house is the murder of Maurizio Gucci in 1995.

Maurizio married Italian socialite Patrizia in 1972 and they had two daughters together in 1976 and 1981.

However, in 1985, Maurizio unceremoniously ended their relationship, which finally culminated in a divorce in 1994.

Just a year later, the heir to the Gucci empire was gunned down by an unknown assassin as he walked to work in Milan and died aged 46.

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The same day, his ex-wife wrote ‘paradeisos’ or ‘paradise’ in her diary.

Two years later, in 1997, she was arrested for his murder and was eventually sentenced to 29 years in prison in 1998 after it emerged she had hired a hitman to kill him.

Patrizia, who often sported a pair of dark sunglasses, was known as the “Milanese Elizabeth Taylor”.

However, following her husband’s murder, she became known as the “Black widow” by the Italian media.

The couple were well-known for their extravagant lifestyles, which were followed with intrigue by the press.

Questions have been raised over Patrizia’s motive for killing her ex-husband, given that the pair were already divorced at the time.

Speaking about her character at the premiere, Lady Gaga said: “A lot of people don’t know this but when she married Maurizio Gucci, his entire family had turned their back on him, so she didn’t marry for money [as many believe].

“When he was murdered, they were divorced so there was nothing financially at stake for her.

“Which I found fascinating as a woman because [if it’s not for money] then it’s because she was hurt. Then it’s because it was love.”

In her book, Ms Forden looks at whether Patrizia murdered her ex-husband due to his extravagant spending habits.

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She also examines whether she may have been jealous of his intentions to marry his mistress Paola Franchi, as well as the possibility that she may not have committed the crime at all.

As the son of Rodolfo Gucci, who was the son of Guccio, Maurizio was the heir to the Gucci empire.

After Rodolfo’s death in 1983, Maurizio won a battle with his uncle, Aldo Gucci, to seize control of the fashion house.

Maurizio had worked for Aldo, the Gucci chairman, after leaving Italy for New York in 1972.

However, the pair fell out as Aldo claimed Maurizio had faked his father’s signature to avoid inheritance tax and his 50 percent share in the company was frozen.

He was initially found guilty, but was then acquitted, and in 1993 sold his Gucci shares to Bahrain-based investment company Investcorp for a reported $100 million (£85 million).

The Associated Press reported at the time that he “used his 50 percent of the company to seize control, oust Aldo, and bring in new, young, US-educated managers”.

‘House of Gucci’ is released in UK cinemas on November 26.