Italy’s jet set queen Marella Agnelli, widow of the legendary Fiat patriarch Giovanni Agnelli, died today at the age of 92. The grandmother of Fiat Chrysler’s president, John Elkann, died at her home in Turin, the family members said in a press release. Her health had deteriorated significantly in recent days. A funeral ceremony is planned in a private circle.
Marella Caracciolo, born into a Neapolitan noble family, was born on 4 May 1927 in Florence. After studying in Switzerland and Paris, she began working in New York as an assistant to photographer Erwin Blumenfeld. In 1953 she married in Strasbourg the industrial magnate Giovanni Agnelli, with whom she got two children, Edoardo and Margherita.
Designer and photographer
Artistically talented Marella Agnelli designed fabric patterns for interior design for renowned textile factories. In addition, she continued her work as a photographer for several magazines. She was honorary president of the Turin Pinakothek Giovanni e Marella Agnelli, as well as vice president of the board of Palazzo Grassi in Venice.
Agnelli’s life was overshadowed by the tragic death of her drug-addicted son Edoardo. He had jumped in 2000 at the age of 46 years by a motorway viaduct along the highway Torino-Savona. For years he had lived apart and isolated. After the death of her husband, an inheritance dispute arose with her daughter Margherita, who dragged on long.
