At the time of his death, Gianni Versace had been living with his longtime partner, Antonio D’Amico. In 1982, Versace hired D’Amico to help make some of his designs a reality, according to The Telegraph. Ten years later, the couple moved to the Miami home that would become renowned for its lavish parties and — just five years after that — as a crime scene.
D’Amico was inside the house when he heard the gunshots, and it’s understandable that even decades later, he was hesitant to speak about the moment he discovered his partner’s lifeless body. He did, however, speak to The Guardian about the release of “American Crime Story,” to make it clear not everything portrayed in the movie was rooted in reality.
Read Related Also: Rick Caruso says he’ll shield Hollywood if elected L.A. Mayor
“I felt as if my blood had turned to ice,” he said, recalling the shooting. “I saw Gianni lying on the steps, with blood around him. At that point, everything went dark. I was pulled away, I didn’t see any more.” D’Amico has said, too, that he struggled in the aftermath of Versace’s death, spiraling into a deep depression. He never reached out to a therapist for help — he knew exactly what was wrong, and nothing could change what had happened. “I was in a nightmare, I felt nothing and gave no importance to anything … because it felt false to have expectations of life.”
