Actress Ira von Fürstenberg has died at the age of 83. A star of the 1960s and 1970s jet-set and cinema, she was born in Rome. She was the daughter of Prince Tassilo Fürstenberg and Clara Agnelli, Gianni's sister. Ira von Fürstenberg, whose full name was Virginia Carolina Theresa Pancrazia Galdina zu Fürstenberg, starred in some 30 films directed by masters of the screen such as Alberto Lattuada, Mauro Bolognini and Lamberto Bava. As early as age 14, Ira von Fürstenberg modeled for fashion designer Emilio Pucci, shortly before she met Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe - Langenburg, with whom she married when she was only 15, thanks to a papal dispensation. The wedding, celebrated in Venice, represented one of the most famous social events of the time. The couple moved to live in Mexico, where they had two sons Christoff and Hubertus. The former died at age 50 in a Thai prison in August 2006, in an affair that caused a stir. Hubertus is a former Olympic skier, as well as a singer and photographer. Her second marriage, however, was to entrepreneur and well-known playboy Francisco Matarazzo Pignatari, known as Baby, who was married in Nevada in 1961. It was an affair that made her a star of the Roman jet set and salons of the time but also led to a long court case. In fact, her first husband denounced her for adultery, except that he later withdrew the denunciation in exchange for custody of her children. In 1964 she also divorced her second husband, and it was not until 1969 that she obtained an annulment of her first marriage. In 1985 she was in the center of the gossip columns for her alleged affair with Prince Rainier of Monaco, a few years after the death of Princess Grace. A sexy movie icon of the 1960s and 1970s, Ira von Fürstenberg starred in more than thirty films. In 1970 she presented the Sanremo Festival with Nuccio Costa and Enrico Maria Salerno. She also turned down the role of "Barbarella" in Roger Vadim's film, later given to Jane Fonda, as well as a film with Tinto Brass to protect her children. After her film career she returned to fashion, being immortalized by the greatest photographers, including Helmut Newton. She collaborated with Diane Vreeland, journalist and editor of "Vogue" magazine. Last October, her latest recognition, the Capri Person Award 2023.
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