After that picture of Lady Gaga and Adam Driver went viral, House of Gucci cemented itself as one of the most hotly-anticipated film releases of the year.
The crime biopic sees the pop-singer play Italian socialite and former Gucci chief adviser, Patrizia Reggiani, who was sentenced to 29 years in prison for plotting the assassination of her ex-husband, heir to the Gucci throne, Mauricio Gucci, in 1995.
The Ridley Scott film is currently shooting in Italy, and is adapted from Sara G Forden's critically acclaimed non-fiction book, The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed.
But if you don't have time to delve into the book, look no further. We break down the truly fascinating true story that inspired the upcoming film...
Who was Mauricio Gucci?
Mauricio Gucci was born into Italian royalty in 1948. His parents, Sandra Ravel and Rodolfo Gucci, were actors, with his father being the son of legendary fashion designer, Guccio Gucci.
As he was an only child, he inherited his father's majority ownership of Gucci upon his death in 1983. But he later launched a divisive legal battle against his uncle, Aldo Gucci, for full control of the fashion house.
He married Reggiani in 1972 and the couple went on to have two daughters together. However, the relationship ended bitterly.
In 1985, after 12 years of marriage, Gucci told Reggiani that he was going on a business trip – but he never returned home. She later discovered that he had left her for a younger woman.
The couple's divorce was finalised in 1991.
Who was Patrizia Reggiani?
Patrizia Reggiani's upbringing was not as flashy as her former husband's, but her family was still incredibly wealthy. She was born in 1948 in a town just outside Milan to a waitress mother, and a father who made his fortune in the trucking industry.
She met Gucci at a party after becoming a well-known socialite. In fact, during the 1970s and '80's she was referred to as the "Liz Taylor of luxury labels" and "Lady Gucci". They tied the knot in 1972, and after some initial friction in the family, Reggiani quickly involved herself in her husband's family business. She became the chief advisor for the legendary brand.
Known for their glamour in the press, the pair were one of Italy's first international celebrity couples, and mingled with the likes of the Kennedys.
However, the golden couple's relationship came to an end when he left her for Paola Franchi. When Gucci and Reggiani officially divorced, she was granted the equivalent of $500,000 annual alimony.
A year after their divorce was finalised, Reggiani was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which she had removed.
As ingratiated as she was in the fashion world, Reggiani was apparently furious when her ex-husband was forced to sell the business in 1993, after it started operating at a loss.
Two years later, on 27 March 1995, Reggiani hired a hitman who shot Gucci outside his office as he arrived for work.
The day of Mauricio Gucci's murder
Gucci was walking to work, Via Palestro 20 in Milan, when he was shot three times in the back, and once in the head, before collapsing and dying on the steps of his office.
Describing the tragedy to The Guardian in 2016, doorman, Giuseppe Onorato said: "Mr Gucci arrived carrying some magazines and said good morning. Then I saw a hand. It was a beautiful, clean hand, and it was pointing a gun."
Onorato was shot twice in the arm, and is still owed compensation from Reggiani.
She was the main suspect in the case early on, as she had previously spoken about her desire to murder her ex after their highly-publicised split.
There wasn't enough evidence, however, and she wasn't arrested for two years. But after a tip-off in 1997, she was taken into custody and her trial began the following year. Her nickname in the press swiftly changed to the"black widow".
What happened at the trial?
During the trial, it was revealed that Reggiani had hired four accomplices to murder Gucci; her former friend and psychic, Pina Auriemma, a friend of Auriemma's, the hitman and a getaway driver.
One of the most famous pieces of evidence presented during the 1998 trial was the socialite's diary. It had a one-word entry for the day of her ex-husband's murder – the Greek word for paradise, "Paradeisos".
Her lawyers alleged that while she did want Gucci dead, she wasn't responsible for his death. Reggiani said that her psychic, Auriemma, forced her to pay $365,000 for the hitman, and blackmailed her into doing so. Confusingly, Reggiani also added that it was "worth every lira".
Despite repeatedly maintaining her innocence, Reggiani was convicted of Gucci's murder and sentenced to 29 years in jail. Her two daughters – who were 21 and 17 at the time – said that her conviction should be overturned as the claimed her behaviour and personality had changed following her brain tumour.
The hitman who murdered Gucci was given a life sentence, and Auriemma was sentenced to 25 years behind bars.
Where is Patrizia Reggiani now?
Ultimately, Reggiani only served 16 years in prison. She was released in 2014, and proceeded to begin a work-release programme, which required her to get a job and do volunteer work.
She was employed as a design consultant by Milan-based costume jewellery brand, Bozart. However, her heart seemed to still lie with her late husband's birthright. That same year, she told local newspaper La Repubblica that she wanted to return to the fashion house. "They need me," she said. "I still feel like a Gucci – in fact, the most Gucci of them all."
She worked for three years at Bozart – a job that she initially resisted taking – until she became a free citizen in 2017.
House of Gucci will be released in the US on the 24th of November, 2021.
(Feature image credit: PA Pictures)
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