Paolo Liuzzo, who datedPrincess Beatrice during the Princess of York's late teens, was found dead in a Florida hotel at the age of 41.
"Police found Liuzzo after being called to a room at the citizenM Miami Worldcenter hotel at 3:22 p.m. on February 7," Officer Michael Vega, who works for the Miami Police Department, told an outlet.
"The time of death was given as 3:34 p.m. The cause has not been disclosed due to Florida records law," he continued. “It was investigated as an overdose death. The investigation is open and ongoing.”
Insiders claimed Liuzzo was “not doing great” before his passing and that he “loved to party and to gamble.”
“It was a very fast lifestyle and we all feared it would catch up with him eventually,” the friend noted. “He was always borrowing money to pay off old loans. It became a vicious cycle.”
Liuzzo and Beatrice's romance gained media attention after he went on a skiing trip with Beatrice, Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and other members of the royal family in Switzerland.
At the time, royal onlookers didn't approve of the pair's age gap as Beatrice was 17 and Liuzzo was 24, but the Duchess of York defended her daughter at the time.
“We all have our own journeys and have to learn our way but Beatrice is a sensible girl, soon to be 18, with many friends, including Paolo,” she said at the time.
The couple split by 2006, but their courtship became controversial when it was revealed the American was charged with manslaughter for the death of a fellow student at the College of the Holy Cross in 2002. The charge was linked to a fatal fistfight, but it was ultimately lowered in him avoiding jail time.
“It was a stupid fist fight and if I had gone to trial, my lawyers were certain I’d have been found innocent," Liuzzo said after his connection to Beatrice became public fodder.
“But if it came out that me and Bea were dating, it wouldn’t be good for her image or Sarah’s so everyone was trying to keep our relationship a secret," he noted.
It was reported that Liuzzo was working as an art industry consultant before his death, and he lived in an apartment building close to the hotel where he died.
Beatrice has yet to publicly address her former lover's overdose, as she is now married to the multi-millionaire property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The pair share daughter Sienna.
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The Sun reported on Liuzzo's passing.