It’s not surprising that Lady Gaga embodies the role of Italian socialite turned murderer Patrizia Reggiani in House of Gucci. But, there is a renewed interest in Patrizia thanks to her crime being featured in the Ridley Scott-directed movie.
Patrizia’s life changed dramatically in 1997 when she was sentenced to 29 years in prison for the murder of her husband – Maurizio Gucci, the heir to the Gucci fashion house. Despite being found guilty of murder, Patricia tried to have her conviction overturned claiming that she had a brain tumor surgery that impaired her judgment. In 2000, Patrizia was convicted and her sentence was reduced to 26 years in prison. She attempted suicide shortly after her conviction but survived the attempt. When she agreed to take on the job of work release in 2014, she was released from San Victoria Prison – also known as Opera prison.
She became a free woman after two more years of parole in 2016 on the credit for good behavior. Patrizia is still alive today and talking about the crime that put her behind bars for over twenty years.
“I think I am a very strong person because I survived all these years in captivity,” Patrizia said, “I slept a lot. I took care of my plants. I looked after Bambi, my pet ferret. It is all a bad dream to me.”
Patrizia has found a perfect job for someone who loves fashion and design. She is now an employee at Bozart, which is a company that specializes in costume jewelry designs based in Milan. The mother of two said that she lives in a townhouse in Milan but that she doesn’t have close relationships with either of her daughters. They were just teens when she was first arrested, but now both of them live in Switzerland with their husbands.
When it comes to Lady Gaga’s portrayal of herself, Patrizia does not approve. She said, “I’m annoyed by the fact that Lady Gaga is portraying me in the new Ridley Scott film without even having the courtesy or the good sense to come and meet me. 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.”
Lady Gaga responded, “I don’t want to collude with Patrizia Gucci. I think she wants to drive a famous narrative of herself as a notorious killer and a woman who advised Gucci. I think what she did was wrong, I think she deeply regrets it.”
Patrizia would agree that this is true saying “If I could see Maurizio again I would tell him that I love him because he is the person who has mattered most to me in my life,” she shared. “I think he’d say the feeling wasn’t mutual.”
