BEHIND THE PRETTY DOORS: Marella Agnelli and her son Edoardo

Marella Agnelli and her son Edoardo, taking a curious peek at this mother's 6x6 reflex camera.

Edoardo, the eldest child and only son of Marella and her husband, Fiat industrialist Gianni Agnelli, could never come to terms with his family's wealth and privileged life. Edoardo had been described by friends as a sweet soul and gentle dreamer more interested in mysticism than making cars, choosing to eschew the affluent life and live as far as possible away from the glare of the media. He led a troubled existence hampered by drug use and never seemed cut out for the family’s business tradition. In 1986, he had been quoted by an interviewer as saying "I love to lead a withdrawn life, ascetic if you prefer, to keep in touch with myself".

He studied modern literature and oriental philosophy at Princeton but left his studies to travel to India and Iran so he could pursue his interest in religion and mysticism. Edoardo's preoccupations became increasingly erratic, lecturing anyone who would listen to him about mysticism and religion. Eventually, Edoardo converted to Sunni Islam and changed his name to 'Hisham Aziz', then after a meeting with Ayatollah Khomenei he converted to Shia Islam and changed his name once again, this time to 'Mahdi'.

In November 2000, he was found unresponsive under a bridge in Turin with his empty Fiat Croma parked on the bridge above and still running. The viaduct is known as the bridge of suicides. An autopsy confirmed that Edoardo had succumbed from the injuries his body had sustained after falling close to 80 metres and that he had taken his own life.