Celebrity wedding planner who worked Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie found dead at her home in Italy
A well-known celebrity wedding and party planner who has worked with several Hollywood A-listers including Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, and Will Smith, was reportedly found dead at her home in Italy.
Law enforcement in Italy found 37-year-old Eleonora Rioda, unconscious at her Venice apartment on Easter Sunday, before responding paramedics were unable to revive her, according to a report by Italian newspaper Corriere del Veneto.
Rioda founded Venice First, an events company that organized the wedding of Real Madrid star Alvaro Morata and Alice Campello in 2017. While she had recently suffered from health problems, the specifics are still unclear.
The glamorous entrepreneur began her illustrious career working with luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent and soon moved to the Netherlands to join an event organizer called DMC. In 2009, Rioda founded her own company after returning to Venice. She soon rose to prominence and came to be known as the best VIP wedding planner in the city.
Then again in 2011, she made international headlines after she was roped in to organize the wedding of one of India's wealthiest daughters, Ritika Agarwal, who tied the knot with Rohan Mehta.
The bill for the lavish event which saw three days of celebrations and reportedly cost over £7million ($9 million) was footed by Ritika's business tycoon father Pramod Agarwal. It was a star-studded affair requiring over five hundred staff to keep the guests happy. Popular rock troop Florence and the Machine also performed for the newlywed couple.
In 2017, Rioda organized events for Alvaro Morata as he took the holy vows with fashion blogger Alice Campello. The grandiose function, which had over 400 guests, saw the couple take separate boats to the Basilica del Redentore, where they eventually met and tied the knot. The lovers then took a tour of the dreamy city's famous canals.
The celebrated event planner also arranged for a stunning five-tier cake and a Cinderella-style carriage made from fairy lights for their wedding reception. What's more? An assorted collection of Cuban cigars were also presented to guests on the house.
According to Rioda's website, she had worked with several household names including Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Ben Stiller, and Jamie Foxx, reported Daily Mail.