Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, a gay couple known for designing the Barbie and Madonna dolls, were killed in a car crash on Sunday.
The business and romantic partners died after 82-year-old Egidio Ceriano drove roughly four miles in the wrong direction on Italy’s A4 Turin-Milan highway, before colliding head-on into their vehicle, according to a report by the Italian news outlet ANSA.
The doll designers were traveling with 37-year-old Amodio Giurni and his wife, Silvia Moramarco, when the head-on collision “destroyed the cars,” the outlet added.
Giurni also died in the car crash, while Moramarco was hospitalized.
Italian police said Ceriano made a U-turn before paying at the exit of a toll booth, and returned to the highway in the wrong direction on the fast lane, likely thinking that the lane was meant for slower drivers.
While there was not much traffic on the road at the time, and some drivers were able to avoid the 82-year-old’s Peugeot 206 Station Wagon, the two couples traveling from Novara to Milan in a Peugeot 2008 did not, ANSA reported.
Moramarco, the sole survivor of the crash, awoke from a coma on Wednesday, and “remembers everything,” the Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported.
“She remembers everything about the accident,” Moramarco’s friends, who have been by her side at the Niguarda Hospital in Milan, told the newspaper.
The Milan prosecutor’s office is currently investigating the accident, which will involve conducting an autopsy on the 82-year-old man’s body to “explain his decision to turn around,” la Repubblica reported.
Giurni’s funeral will be held on Thursday in his hometown of Tito, while the funerals of Paglino, 52, and Grossi, 55, will be held on Friday in Novara.
“The Barbie team is heartbroken by the loss of Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi, two treasured creators and Mattel collaborators who brought joy and artistry to the world of Barbie as Magnia2000,” the official Barbie Instagram account said in a statement.
“As passionate and talented designers and lifelong collectors, their spirit and love for the brand turned every creation they touched into a masterpiece,” Barbie added of Paglino and Grossi. “Beyond their remarkable talent, they shared an energy that lit up every space the entered.”
Paglino and Grossi’s Magina2000 company, which specialized in custom dolls, won the Barbie Best Friend Award from Barbie fashion designer Carol Spencer in 2016.
The designers were also known for their dolls depicting celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Sofia Loren.
“Whether leading the Italian Doll Convention in Milan or showcasing their talents and love for Barbie at doll shows all over the world, their presence brought warmth, laughter, and a sense of belonging,” Barbie continued in its statement.
“Their generosity was boundless, creating countless dolls to be auctioned to benefit charities close to fellow collectors’ hearts,” Barbie said.
In 2015, Paglino and Grossi generated $15,000 for charity by auctioning one of their dolls at the National Barbie Convention.
“Barbie is better because they loved the brand, and our beloved collector community is richer for having known them and shared in their passion,” the statement read, concluding, “Barbie honors their memory with deep gratitude.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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