24 years ago, Gianni Versace passed away at the age of 50. He was shot by spree killer Andrew Cunanan on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion. FBI agents said that the two had met in San Francisco before. However, the nature of their relationship and the intention behind the crime remain a mystery to this day. Cunanan committed suicide by gunshot in a luxury houseboat, eight days after the murder.
Over 2,000 people went to Gianni's funeral at Milan Cathedral. Some of the high-profile guests were Caroline-Bessette Kennedy, Elton John, and Princess Diana who died in a car accident a month later. The day after the tragic event, Naomi Campbell did an emotional interview where she shared her memories with the designer who "treated [her] like a woman with a lot of respect." People then realized that she had a close relationship with the couturier.
How Naomi Campbell Learned Of Gianni Versace's Death
The Fashion for Relief founder revealed that she was driving to Rome "to go to work for Gianni" when she found out about his death. "I got a phone call ten minutes before I got to Rome and I didn't believe it," she said while wiping her tears. "I got out of the car, stopped the car, then I got back in the car and someone called me and said it wasn't true; it was a mistake. When I got there and saw Donatella..." The model couldn't say the words.
When asked what made the designer special, Naomi said: "He was a very modest person. He would walk around the street by himself. He would never think that he needed a bodyguard or anything 'cause he'd go everywhere on his own." At the time he was murdered, Gianni was walking home from the nearby News Cafe to get his morning magazines. He usually went with his assistant but decided to go by himself that day. His former stylist, Dean Aslett witnessed it all. He stayed in the mansion and was waiting for Gianni to come back from his walk.
Inside Their Iconic Designer-Muse Relationship
20 years later, the supermodel was asked to relive those challenging times in an interview with Vogue Italia. "Oh God, no, it’s shocking," she said about her mentor and friend's passing. "I did not want to come back to America and in the following weeks I looked for a house in Paris, I did not accept that in the country where I lived such a horrible thing could happen." Then she told the story of how she first met the fashion icon — a chance encounter in New York in 1987.
Her former roommate, Christy Turlington called to say that she'd forgotten a pair of shoes at home. She said that someone would take them. It turned out to be Donatella's husband, Paul Beck. He invited Naomi to join them at a dinner event since she was at home alone. "I was shy and I didn’t say a word at dinner. But from that day, he [Gianni] always wanted me with him," the No Filter with Naomi host recalled.
She also said that the rest of Gianni's Girls wore three outfits each while she was given ten. "To those protesting, he replied: 'Naomi can do it,'" said the Making the Cut judge. She said that in a lot of ways, Gianni helped her grow as a person. She said that he'd repeatedly tell her: "To strengthen myself, to improve, to get out of the comfort zone and go beyond. I told him 'it's impossible, you have exaggerated expectations of me!' But he was right."
She added that Gianni, who addressed her as "sister" in private, wanted to teach her a lot of things. "A few weeks before he died, he wanted to take me to the Louvre, to educate me about beauty," she said. "He taught me so much, he was a real tailor who drew and sewed everything personally." Naomi said that she also learned from Gianni, the skill of "making others believe he had listened to them, even if he did everything his own way."
The supermodel continues to pay tribute to her late brother and guardian. On his 24th death anniversary, Naomi posted a photo of her baby in a Versace outfit. She captioned it: "I love you Gianni Versace." At one point, she tried to buy the Miami Beach mansion which is now a luxury hotel. "I think that coming and going of people is an insult. Like the fact that they organize parties in it is an insult," she said. "That house should be transformed into the Versace Museum." Unfortunately, Naomi's offer was outbid at the last minute.