Maurizio Gucci

Maurizio Gucci was born on 26 September 1948 in Florence as the only child of actors Rodolfo Gucci and Sandra Ravel.[3] In 1972, Gucci moved to New York City to work for Gucci with his uncle Aldo Gucci.[4] In the early 1980s, he lived in a luxury penthouse in the Olympic Tower, gifted to him by his father.[5][6] In 1982, he moved back to Milan, and in 1983, he launched a legal war against Aldo for control over Gucci after becoming Gucci's majority shareholder following his father's death.[7][8][9]

In 1986, Gucci fled to Switzerland to avoid prosecution after Aldo, seeking revenge, had accused him of forging his father's signature to avoid paying inheritance taxes. He was originally found guilty, but was later acquitted.[10][11] In 1988, 47.8% of Gucci was sold to the Bahrain-based investment fund Investcorp.[12]

Maurizio Gucci was made chairman of the Gucci group in 1989.[10] From 1991 to 1993, Gucci's finances were in the red. Maurizio Gucci was blamed for spending extravagant amounts of money on the company's headquarters in Florence and Milan.[13] He went on to sell his remaining stock in Gucci in 1993 for $170 million to Investcorp, ending the Gucci family's association with the company.[14]

In 1972, Gucci married Patrizia Reggiani, with whom he had two daughters, Allegra and Alessandra.[15] Maurizio's father Rodolfo Gucci originally did not approve of their marriage, calling Patrizia "a social climber who has nothing in mind but money."[5][6] In 1985, he told his wife Patrizia he was going on a short business trip to Florence. The following day, he sent a friend to tell his wife he would not be returning and that the marriage was over.[16]

In the 90s, Gucci began dating Paola Franchi, a childhood friend who had attended his wedding to Patrizia.[2][17] Both reeling from unhappy marriages, Franchi became Gucci's partner.[18][19] Maurizio Gucci's divorce from Reggiani was finalized in 1994.

In 2022, Maurizio's younger daughter Allegra released her book Game Over, which is about the aftermath of her father's murder and the conviction of her mother. [20] [21]

On 27 March 1995, Gucci was shot by a hired hitman on the steps outside his office as he arrived at work. His former wife Patrizia Reggiani was convicted in 1998 of arranging the killing.[23][24][25] According to prosecutors, Reggiani's motives were a mixture of jealousy, money, and resentment towards her former husband.[26] She served 18 years in prison and was released in October 2016.[27]

A film inspired on the story, titled House of Gucci, was directed by Ridley Scott, and features Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci.[28] House of Gucci was released in the United States on November 24, 2021, by United Artists Releasing.[29]

The Gucci family issued a statement to the portrayal of the family and the murder. "Although the film claims to tell the 'true story' of the family, the narrative is anything but accurate, depicting Aldo Gucci — president of the company for 30 years — and other members of the Gucci family who were the protagonists of well-documented events, as hooligans, ignorant and insensitive to the world around them."[30]

• Court TV's Dominick Dunne: Power, Privilege, & Justice series episode about Maurizio Gucci