Sad and shocking news out of Hollywood this week:
Diego Borella, an assistant director on the Netflix hit Emily in Paris, was pronounced dead around 7 p.m. local time in Italy on Friday while filming an episode for Season 5 of the series.
He was 47 years old.
The tragedy took place during preparation for a final scene inside Hotel Danieli in Venice, according to news sources La Repubblica, Il Messaggero and Corriere della Sera.
We learned about the death via People Magazine, which quoted La Repubblica and wrote the following this morning:
Medical staff on set attempted to revive Borella, but he died at the scene, according to the outlets. A local doctor confirmed the assistant director’s death, stating that he likely died of “a sudden heart attack.”
To be clear, we don’t believe this cause of death has been confirmed.
Shooting on Emily in Paris Season 5 has been temporarily suspended in the wake of this passing.
Borella was a well-known Venetian professional who had trained in Rome, London and New York; he also worked in the visual arts and literature.
Mere days before Borella’s death, Lily Collins — who portrayed the titular character on this light-hearted drama — shared photos from behind the scenes of filming the show on location in Europe.
In an Instagram post dated August 19, the actress included snapshots of herself standing on a pier in Venice, as well as one of her posing on a boat with costar Ashley Park.
“Joy ride to and from work with the best…,” Collins penned as a caption.
“Caption, chapeau, cherished memories game STRONG,” Park responded in the Comments section. “You KNOW how much I love you. another adventure for the books.”
Emily in Paris premiered on Netflix in 2020 and has been a career-making role for Collins.
It follows Chicago marketing executive Emily Cooper, who is hired early on to provide an American perspective at a marketing firm in Paris.
We send our condolences to the friends, family members and loved ones of Diego Borella. May he rest in peace.