Gianni Versace, Italian fashion designer, founded Versace (d. 1997)
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (Italian: [dʒoˈvanni maˈriːa verˈsaːtʃe]; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-up, home furnishings and clothes. He also designed costumes for theatre and films. As a friend of Eric Clapton, Princess Diana, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Madonna, Elton John, Tupac Shakur and many other celebrities, he was one of the first designers to link fashion to the music world. He and his partner Antonio D'Amico were regulars on the international party scene. The place where he was born and raised, Reggio Calabria, greatly influenced his career.
On 15 July 1997, Versace was shot and killed outside his Miami Beach mansion, Casa Casuarina by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.