| Leila Pahlavi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Fatemeh Pahlavi[1] (1970-03-27)27 March 1970 Tehran,Imperial State of Iran |
| Died | 10 June 2001(2001-06-10) (aged 31) London, England |
| Burial | 16 June 2001 Passy Cemetery, Paris, France |
| House | Pahlavi |
| Father | Mohammad Reza Pahlavi |
| Mother | Farah Diba |
Leila Pahlavi (Persian:لیلا پهلوی; 27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001) was a princess of Iran and the youngest daughter ofMohammad Reza Shah and his third wife,ShahbanuFarah Pahlavi.
Leila Pahlavi was born on 27 March 1970 inTehran, Iran. She was the fourth and youngest child of Reza and Farah Pahlavi.[2] She had two elder brothers, an elder sister and an elder half-sister.[2]
Princess Leila was nine years old when her family was forced into exile as a result of the 1979Iranian Revolution. Following her father's death in Egypt fromnon-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1980, the family settled in the United States. She attended theUnited Nations International School in New York City and graduated fromRye Country Day School in 1988.[3] She spoke Persian, English, and French fluently, as well as some Spanish and Italian.[3] She spent much of her time commuting between her home inGreenwich, Connecticut, and Paris, where her mother lived.
Leila Pahlavi studied literature and philosophy atBrown University and was said to have graduated in 1992.[3] However, some sources say she dropped out of university before graduation due to declining health.[3] She was a onetime model for the designerValentino, and suffered fromanorexia nervosa, chronic low self-esteem, severe depression[4] andchronic fatigue syndrome.[5]
On Sunday 10 June 2001, Leila was found dead in her room in Leonard Hotel in London just before 19:30BST by her doctor.[6] She was found to have more than five times the lethal dose ofSeconal, a barbiturate used to treat insomnia, in her system, along with a nonlethal amount ofcocaine,[7] apparently committing suicide.[8] She was found in bed, her body emaciated by years ofanorexia,bulimia,[9] andfood intolerances.[10] According to a report on her death, which included information from an autopsy conducted by theWestminster Coroner's Court, she stole the Seconal from her doctor's desk during an appointment and was addicted to the drug, typically taking 40 pills at once, rather than the prescribed two.[9]
On 17 June 2001, she was buried near her maternal grandmother,Farideh Diba (née Ghotbi), in theCimetière de Passy, Paris, France. At the funeral attendance was her mother, the former royal family of Iran; as well as members of the formerFrench royal family; andFrederic Mitterrand, the nephew of the late French presidentFrançois Mitterrand.[11]
On 4 January 2011, her brotherAli Reza Pahlavi was found dead at his home inBoston, Massachusetts, from an apparent suicide.[12]
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