Emily in Paris assistant director Diego Borella has died while working on the hit Netflix series’ upcoming fifth season. He was 47.
According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Borella collapsed on Thursday evening at Venice’s historic Hotel Danieli, where the crew had been preparing to shoot the final scenes of the season.
Emergency services arrived shortly after 7 p.m., but despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m. The cause is believed to have been a heart attack.
Following the tragedy, production on the series has been temporarily suspended, as per Daily Mail.
Born in Venice in 1978, Borella was an accomplished filmmaker and writer, with training in Rome, London and New York.
Beyond his work in television and film, he also published fairy tales, plays, and collections of haikus.
Additionally, close friend Mattia Berto remembered him as “handsome, elegant, with a lot of style,” adding, “Diego had a great sense of humor, was brilliant, and very talented. His is a young life cut short — just great sadness.”
Furthermore, the filming for season five of Emily in Paris, starring Lily Collins, began in Venice earlier this month and was scheduled to wrap on Monday.
The new season, set partly in Rome, is slated to premiere on Netflix on December 18.
