As you watch Ricky Martin play Gianni Versace's longtime boyfriend on-screen, you might find yourself searching for photos of Antonio D'Amico in 2018. Martin makes for a convincing proxy in American Crime Story's second season, but it's been 20 years. What does D'Amico look like now?
Unfortunately for curious viewers, pictures of the model turned designer are hard to come by. Following Versace's murder in 1997, he shrunk back from the spotlight, silently grappling with the death of his partner of 15 years and a public feud with the fashion mogul's grieving family — particularly with Versace's sister, Donatella. "My relationship with Antonio is exactly as it was when Gianni was alive," she told The New York Times in 1999. "I respected him as the boyfriend of my brother, but I never liked him as a person. So the relationship stayed the same."
And Versace's death seemed to further splinter their strained relationship. As reported by The Guardian, Versace left D'Amico a monthly inheritance of $30,000 and the right to live in his homes, but as the properties were owned by the Versace fashion house, they came under control of Versace's siblings, Donatella and Santo, and his niece, Allegra. After a legal back-and-forth, D'Amico walked away with only a fraction of the pension.
In the ensuing decades, D'Amico remained largely silent about Versace's murder and the subsequent fallout with the designer's family. Public glimpses of him were rare, and one of the first in 20 years didn't arrive until last April, when he appeared on an episode of Dateline that rehashed the details of Versace's case. Perhaps more telling, though, was an interview he did with the Observer in July, when photos of The Assassination of Gianni Versace (executive producer: Nina Jacobson) began circulating online. D'Amico took issue with the show's portrayal of him finding Versace's body, telling the outlet it was "ridiculous." (In a statement published by Deadline, the series' network, FX, stood by the veracity of their story, which is based on Maureen Orth's investigative 1999 book, Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U. S. History).
But more revealing were the details he shared about the devastation he faced following his partner's death. As D'Amico told the Observer:
"I had never been through a depression and never saw a therapist as I was advised to: Why did I need to tell someone else what had happened when I knew I was this way because Gianni’s death had torn me in two? I was in a nightmare, I felt nothing and gave no importance to anything … the house, the money … because it felt false to have expectations of life."
Eventually, he was able to move on. He started a fashion line in 1999, and per his Observer interview, found love in 2005 — a full eight years after the loss of Versace. But even as he's marched forward, he's remained mostly outside of the public eye. He told the Observer he now lives a simple life with his new partner in the northern Italian countryside — a place where, notably, paparazzi aren't likely to be found. And though he told the publication he will "always be connected" to Versace, he now considers himself a new man. "The world continues to go around … You can look back at the past until a certain point, [but] then you need to look ahead to the future," he continued in the interview.
For D'Amico, that future includes a life far outside of the limelight he once shared with Versace. And if and until he's ready to re-enter the throes of Hollywood, Martin's portrayal will have to suffice.
