So…if you’ve already binged all of Emily in Paris season 5 (guilty), then you’re likely still scratching your head over the shocking season finale. But perhaps the biggest question fans have: Who was Diego Borella?
ICYMI, the finale ends with a dedication reading, “In memory of Diego Borella.” That tribute is for an Emily in Paris assistant director who tragically died in August at the age of 47 while filming for season 5 was taking place in Italy.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the sudden passing of a member of the Emily in Paris production family,” a spokesperson for Paramount Television Studios said in a statement at the time. “Our hearts go out to the individual’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
The news first broke on Friday, August 22, with local newspaper La Repubblica reporting that Diego had collapsed the evening before while the crew was preparing to film a scene at Venice’s Hotel Danieli. On-site medical staff members reportedly attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful.
Production was temporarily halted following his death, and it didn’t pick up again until Saturday, August 23.
Emily in Paris creator Darren Star later spoke about the tragedy at a press conference, saying (per Radio Times), “We were all there when it happened. We were filming that day—it came at the very, very end of our filming. And I think it hit us very hard because it was tragic and shocking and sad. And he was part of our Italian crew, and he was part of our family of the show. And we really, I think, pride ourselves that we feel like a family. So it was a real loss.”
He added that Diego’s memory would “live on with the show and in all of our hearts because he was part of the Emily in Paris family.”
