Overview
- His foundation announced on Instagram that he died peacefully at his home in Rome surrounded by loved ones, with no cause disclosed.
- A public lying in state will be held at PM23 in Piazza Mignanelli on January 21–22 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
- The funeral is scheduled for Friday, January 23 at 11 a.m. at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome.
- Tributes poured in from across government and fashion, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, designers, models, and celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow.
- Founder of the Valentino house in Rome around 1960, he popularized 'Valentino red,' dressed clients from Jacqueline Kennedy to Princess Diana, sold the brand in 1998, and retired by 2007–08 as the label continued under designers including Pierpaolo Piccioli and Alessandro Michele.