Enrico Lucherini, Italy’s most iconic press agent to the stars, passed away yesterday in Rome. He would have turned 93 on August 8. The news was confirmed by Gianluca Pignatelli, his close friend, pupil, and business partner. In a statement, Pignatelli wrote that Lucherini “passed away peacefully in the afternoon at his home in the Parioli district, surrounded by family and loved ones.” A pioneer in the field, Lucherini introduced the concept of the celebrity publicist to Italy, crafting a flamboyant, inimitable style that led to the creation of a now-famous term: Lucherinata. Born to a physician, Lucherini initially pursued medical school to please his father, but after two years he abandoned the path for a brief career in acting, enrolling at the Silvio D’Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art. In the early 1950s, he joined the renowned Compagnia dei Giovani alongside Rossella Falk and Giuseppe Patroni Griffi. During a tour of South America with the group, he organized his first press conference—an experience that marked a turning point. It was then that Lucherini realized his true talent lay not on stage, but in spotlighting the stars. Witty, brilliant, flamboyant—admired and feared—Lucherini went on to promote nearly 900 films, including Teorema, Fantozzi, The Leopard, King Kong, Death in Venice, Nothing Underneath, and Baarìa. His signature flair gave birth to Lucherinata, now defined in dictionaries as a promotional stunt marked by hyperbole or theatrical fabrication—an audacious twist to push a film or personality into public consciousness. One such stunt that became legendary: during the Cannes Film Festival, he arranged for a live leopard to appear to promote The Leopard, leaving many speechless. Among the many stars he represented, Sophia Loren remained closest to his heart. "It was Loren," Lucherini often said, "who first made me understand what this profession truly meant—and she was the actress who gave me the most."