Versace mansion deaths: two men found in Miami Beach house

Table of Content

• Kevin Federline and Jamie Spears are working on a book about fatherhood
• Versace quickly saw possibilities in what would become his Miami property
• men found dead at former Versace mansion in Miami Beach
• Inside Selena's Final Days and Murder
• best Amazon gifts to shop for everyone on your 2022 Christmas list

In those old photos, dried blood can be seen along the steps leading up to the Versace Mansion, the scene grotesquely displayed in the morning sun and framed with police tape as homicide detectives analyzed the site of the murder. On July 15th, 1997, at 50 years of age, Gianni Versace was shot twice on the steps of his Miami, FL home upon returning from his morning stroll down Ocean Drive. On most days, Gianni would have his assistant get his coffee and morning paper for him, but his decision to walk to the shop on his own that day would prove to be fatal. 100% of the Versace family shares were recently sold to the American fashion label, Michael Kors Limited, for $2 billion. Like anything Versace, you’re gonna have to be prepared to dish out some serious cash to stay at this perfect slice of opulence – since it appears booking a room at Villa Casa Casuarina can cost you anywhere between $750 to $1100 a night .

A waterfront Miami mansion designed by the late Gianni Versace’s favorite architect has finally sold for $13 million, Gimme Shelter reports exclusively. Versace designated specific rooms for visiting family members, with space intended for his brother Santo, sister Donatella and niece Allegra. He also welcomed friends like Cher, who preferred the Wedgwood Suite, and Elton John, who liked the Safari Suite. Several of Versace's famous acquaintances followed his example and ended up purchasing their own Miami homes. The millions Versace spent on renovations were meant to create a home he wanted to live in and not to increase resale value. This was demonstrated when the house went on the market after his 1997 murder.

Kevin Federline and Jamie Spears are working on a book about fatherhood

In 1993, Versace bought the adjoining Revere Hotel to the south for $3.7 million, which he tore down to make a pool and garden area for his house. Versace commissioned Sir Roy Strong, an English art historian and landscape designer, to work on creating the garden. He also had created gardens at Versace's Villa Fontanelle on Lake Como in Italy. The hotel offers guests the chance to stay in any one of the luxury suites in the mansion, including Gianni’s suite. So, if you’ve always wanted to see how this fashion icon lived, you can book a stay at his former home and experience the extreme lavishness that is Villa Casa Casuarina for yourself.

Or perhaps the suite where Madonna used to stay when she visited Versace in the '90s and helped put the Miami Beach neighborhood of South Beach on the national scene. Andrew Cunanan was unemployed and frequently worked his way into the lives of wealthy older men so that he could spend their money. He went on to murder 5 people within 3 months, Versace included, until finally shooting himself on a houseboat in Miami Beach. He committed suicide with the same .40-caliber gun he shot and killed Gianni with as well as his other victim, former boyfriend David Madson.

Versace quickly saw possibilities in what would become his Miami property

This home, built with imported Italian materials and artisans, took almost eight years to complete. Versace not only enjoyed life in his mansion, but he also drew energy from its surroundings. It was one of the only private residences on Ocean Drive, so he could quickly walk to a favorite cafe.

But when you consider that you’ll be staying in a place that has played host to both Hollywood royalty as well as actual royalty, the price of a room at the villa makes sense. The men were found dead a day before the 24th anniversary of that killing, but nothing in a police report indicates there is any connection. The preliminary investigation revealed the deaths to be a double suicide, Miami Beach police spokesman Officer Ernesto Rodriguez said, but the medical examiner will determine the cause of death. The mansion was sold in 2013 VM South Beach LLC which also owns the Hotel Victor next door to the former mansion. Allan Kleer and Fabian Garcia Diaz with One Sotheby’s International Realty represented the seller, the estate of the late, Texas-based financier Ken Hill. The buyer ia trader/investor Josh Patkin, who posted some “closing” photos by the home on his social media.Michael Kuritnik of Compass repped Patkin.

men found dead at former Versace mansion in Miami Beach

Gianni Versace’s remains were cremated and returned to the Versace estate near Cernobbio, Italy. The ashes were buried in the family’s vault located at Moltrasio cemetery, not far from Lake Como. His funeral, which was held at Milan Cathedral, had over 2,000 attendees, including Sting, Giorgio Armani, Elton John, and Princess Diana.

In one interview, Versace shared his appreciation for Miami, noting, "I wake up and I work. I’m very serene here." Miami influences, such as pastels and palm tree prints, showed up in his collections. The Miami mansion was luxurious and filled with works of art such as Picassos, but it wasn't a museum-like space. Instead, he made it a comfortable place to live with his partner, Antonio D'Amico.

Versace Hotel Miami

Unfortunately, this was where he was returning from on July 15, 1997, when he was shot and killed on the steps of his beloved home. A little more than a week after Versace's murder, Cunanan killed himself on a shuttered houseboat about 40 blocks north of the mansion as police closed in. Cunanan, the suspect in four other murders, killed himself on a houseboat eight days later.

Much like his designs, Gianni Versace’s former mansion in Miami is every bit the spectacle of pure decadence that you’d expect from the fashion giant. Join us as we take an inside look at Gianni Versace’s life, his career, and his lavished mansion. But not only can tourists (and fans of FX's upcoming American Crime Story miniseries, which focuses on the murder) photograph the house, they can stay there overnight.

Inside Selena's Final Days and Murder

It was the success of the Versace fashion house that enabled Versace to create his unique Miami mansion, and links to his label were included all over the property. Versace's new pool drew design inspiration from a scarf in his "Marine Vanuras" collection. Much of the furniture inside was upholstered in Versace designs; a sitting room for his brother had furniture covered in Versace velvet. Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was murdered on the steps of the Miami mansion in July 1997. Since Versace's death -- he was shot dead on the steps of his mansion in 1997, thus the camera-wielding tourists outside -- the property has changed management a couple of times. What many of those selfie-snapping tourists outside may not realize is that the former home of late fashion designer Gianni Versace isn't a museum or private home, but a hotel.

The mansion was again put up for sale in 2012, this time at a price of $125 million. An estimated $32 million in renovations over three years transformed the historic property into a manse fit for a style king. Next door was an Art Deco Hotel called the Hotel Revere, which Versace also snapped up, and demolished to make way for his garden, pool and the south wing, which used to house one of his libraries. The most elaborate Medusa can be found in the Villa's 54-foot-long pool, inspired by Versace's "Marine Vanuras" collection and said to be made from more than one million mosaic tiles, thousands of them 24-karat gold.