Who was Sergio Galeotti? All about Giorgio Armani's late partner with whom he established one of the world's most famous fashion companies

On Thursday, September 4, Giorgio Armani passed away. In the wake of the billionaire fashion designer's death, his namesake fashion empire shared a statement on their Instagram handle, writing that the 91-year-old "worked until his final days, dedicated himself to the company, the collections and the many ongoing future projects."

It further called the fashion pioneer "indefatigable to the end," claiming that it was his deep attention to people and his relentless curiosity that drove him in life.

Armani's death has sparked a curiosity about his business and personal partner, Sergio Galeotti.

Galeotti was born in July 1945 in the town of Pietrasanta, Italy, and was admitted into an art high school in Carrara. After completing his studies, Sergio became an architect with an experience of working in a string of architectural studios in the country before he crossed paths with Armani in Tuscany in 1966. 

Soon after the two got acquainted, Sergio Galeotti left his own practice and joined Armani in his fashion world, and took charge of the financial and administrative aspects of the business as Giorgio employed his creative skills.

However, their journey together was unfortunately cut short after nearly two decades, when Galeotti passed away at the age of 40. While his death was tied to a heart attack back in the day, it was revealed years later that he suffered an AIDS-related illness.

Giorgio Armani opened up about the pain of parting from Sergio Galeotti in a 2024 interview

After more than three decades of Galeotti's passing, Giorgio Armani opened up about his feelings for the late architect in a 2024 interview with Il Messaggero. Armani credited his long-lost partner for giving his "courage" and "confidence" when he was at the starting point of his business, saying:

"He told me, 'You have significant potential.' He had seen my clothes and realized that I could go further. The fashion world in Milan was run by somewhat older people, I was young and had different motivations."

Giorgio also addressed the grief he suffered following Sergio's death, which had made him reassess both his business and life back in the time. Armani said:

"I congratulate myself a bit because I withstood a very strong pain. A year between one hospital and another, I continued to work to avoid hurting him. It was an extremely difficult moment that I had to overcome even against public opinion."

Before Giorgio Armani's death, the billionaire businessman had already set up a plan in motion to ensure a smooth succession of his company when he died. Speaking to an Italian newspaper (Corrier della Sera) about it in 2017, the designer said that his goal was to:

"safeguard the governance (of) assets of the Armani Group and ensure that these assets are kept stable over time in respect of and consistent with some principles that are particularly important to me."

While he mentioned having selected three nominees who would take charge of the foundation after his death, their names weren't disclosed at the time.