Tina Livanos with Aristotle Onassis (left) and Stavros Niarchos (right). Credit: Public domainIt was October 10, 1974 when Tina Livanos was found dead in a hotel suite in Paris. It was the end of a life that was the stuff of legend, as the beautiful aristocratic woman had married two of Greece’s wealthiest shipping magnates: Aristotle Onassis and Stavros Niarchos.
Her death was attributed to excessive use of barbiturates. In the next room, her husband Niarchos was sleeping, unaware of the tragedy.
Tina Livanos, one of the most beautiful and desired Greek women of the 20th century
Daughter of the patriarch of a Greek shipping empire, Stavros Livanos, Tina was born in 1929 and grew up as a beautiful “princess” living in both London and New York. She studied in the best colleges, spent vacations in the most cosmopolitan resorts around the world and interacted with princes and kings, as well as famous actors and international celebrities from a young age.
Gifted with stunning looks, Livanos attracted attention everywhere she went. Two of the men who were mesmerized by her beauty were shipping tycoons Onassis and Niarchos.
According to Onassis’ biographer Peter Evans, Onassis was jealous of Niarchos because of his elegance, his aristocratic air, and his seemingly effortless cosmopolitan finesse. Even in the most expensive suit, Onassis looked like a poor man trying to impress, Evans wrote. At the same time, Niarchos epitomized the chic aura of the ultrawealthy.
