NEED TO KNOW
- Dodi Fayed had a lengthy friendship with Brooke Shields prior to his romance with Princess Diana
- Shields broke her silence about Fayed’s death one month after the Paris car crash that killed both the producer and the princess in 1997
- PEOPLE’s Special Edition Celebrating the ‘80s: 1985 Edition is now available
Dodi Fayed first crossed paths with Princess Diana at a polo match in 1986, but he was already well-known in swanky circles prior to that, even striking up an unlikely friendship with Brooke Shields, the it-girl of the time.
The Egyptian movie producer was involved in many films via his Allied Stars Ltd., including 1981’s Chariots of Fire, 1986’s F/X and 1991’s Hook. As his profile became more pronounced in Hollywood, so too did his love life, as he was linked to several notable stars, and even had a brief marriage to model Susanne Gregard.
“He was so romantic and thoughtful. And he didn’t take things too seriously,” Gregard told PEOPLE in 1997. “Once, during a candlelit dinner he had arranged, the table we were sitting at collapsed, and the whole turkey fell to the floor. We laughed so hard. That was what I loved about him.”
Prior to that marriage, which ended amicably, Fayed was often seen throughout 1985 with The Blue Lagoon actress Shields, including the evening they appeared together at the Night of 100 Stars party in New York City.
The following year, Fayed’s life changed after meeting Di at Windsor Great Park when the Al Fayed polo team, for which Dodi played, beat Prince Charles’s team. Eleven years after that chance meeting and one year after her divorce from Charles was finalized, Di and Fayed began a romance in July of 1997.
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Tragically, their lives ended before their romance could take flight, as they died in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, when the Mercedes they were traveling in barreled into a pillar in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. At the time, the car was being chased by paparazzi.
One month after the crash, Shields broke her silence about the death of her dear friend, reportedly telling TV Guide, “Everybody has been focused on Diana, and that’s understandable, but not much has been said about Dodi, and for those of us who knew him there should be some recognition. He had a tenderness I don’t think [many were] aware of.”
She added, ”The saddest part is that I think he was just beginning to be happy.”
For more ‘80s flashbacks, check out PEOPLE’s Special Edition Celebrating the ‘80s: 1985 Edition, available on Amazon now.
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