Edoardo Agnelli
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Edoardo Agnelli (1954 – 2000) son of the industrialist patriarch of Fiat, Gianni Agnelli. Originally expected to be the heir apparent as the only son, his life made it clear he would never succeed his father.
He despised the Agnelli business interests and capitalism. After studying at Atlantic College, he read literature and philosophy at Princeton University. Some report that he converted to Islam. He spent much time in Africa and India, pursuing his interest in spirituality.
Edoardo was detained in Kenya ten years ago on heroin charges; he was in possession of approximately 300 grams. The drug charges were eventually dropped and Edoardo was banned from entering Africa again.
Gianni had known that Edoardo could never succeed him. In 1986, Edoardo admitted to his father that he had a secret son. The child born out of wedlock, Giovanni "Gio" Agnelli. (born 1973) was named in honor of Edoardo's father. The senior Agnelli was not amused, and denied the legitimacy of Edoardo's claim. Edoardo then held a press conference at Assisi at which he spoke about God and announced that he was preparing to take over the leadership of Fiat. Fiat responded publicly that Edoardo was unlikely to become active in its operations.
Fiat is by far the biggest family firm in Italy, probably the biggest in Europe. It is also one of the oldest. Inevitably, the House of Agnelli has provided the world with a century's worth of gossip about sibling feuds, prolonged regencies, princely debauchery, sudden death. There are only so many disasters which can hit a dynasty, and the Agnellis have had most of them twice.
Gianni married Marella Caracciolo, an elegant and shy princess who set out to humanise him while keeping herself out of the papers. They had two children. One is Margherita Elkann, whose eldest son, John Elkann, is now 30. The other was the tragic Edoardo.
Gianni's general manager had been his brother Umberto, 13 years younger than him. But Umberto was no good in this prolonged crisis, and in 1980 Gianni replaced him with a non-Agnelli, the thuggish but effective Cesare Romiti. The trouble was that Romiti was no spring chicken himself. So the search for a true heir - like the search for a reincar nated Lama - went on. Edoardo was obviously hopeless. But what about Umberto's son, Giovannino Agnelli (1974-1997)? Here was an intelligent young man with industrial experience (his mother owned a scooter factory and let him run it).
So it became understood that Romiti would eventually give way to Giovannino Agnelli, who would in turn succeed his uncle. In 1997, Giovannino died of a rare cancer. Edoardo Agnelli never married, and his illegitimate son is not expected to take any role in Fiat. John Elkann will serve as Vice Chairman of Fiat, a position he has been groomed for over the last five years.
In 2000 Edoardo apparently committed suicide by jumping off a banked road. The funeral was immediate. Later that day, the Agnellis began to arrive at the family mansion at Villar Perosa, near Turin. Edoardo was laid in the Agnelli vault on Friday. The gigantic Fiat vehicle plants paused for a moment of respect, then resumed production. In subsequent years, it has been claimed in Muslim quarters that Edoardo is a martyr killed by Zionists.
