A Dior executive and her film producer partner were killed in a head-on car crash in France.
Mathilde Favier, 57, and beloved French movie producer Nicolas Altmayer, 61, died in the collision near the commune of Airvault in western France on Monday afternoon, French outlet La Figaro reported.
Favier and Altmayer’s Austin Mini car “hit a heavy goods vehicle traveling in the opposite direction while they were overtaking another vehicle,” Nicolas Leclainche, the Niort deputy prosecutor, said as he confirmed a manslaughter investigation had been launched.
The couple was heading to Île de Ré – an island known for its salt marshes, located off the west coast of France, where Favier had a home.
Favier, a mother of two, was once labeled the “best connected woman in Paris” by the Times of London, and she previously worked for Prada, Chanel and Glamour magazine before joining Dior in 2011.
“Mathilde loved life with a passion,” Delphine Arnault, the CEO and chairperson of Christian Dior Couture, said in a statement shared Tuesday. “With the passing of Mathilde, Dior is losing an incredible professional, and I have lost a loyal friend. Her optimism and courage commanded admiration.
“We will sorely miss her smile and her talent. I feel deeply saddened today; my thoughts are very much with her children, her mother, her sisters, her family, her many friends and her team she loved so much.”
Favier “made an incredible contribution to the reputation of Christian Dior Couture through her commitment and elegance,” the fashion house said.
“She was an exceptional woman whose communicative joy, talent and loyalty were exemplary.”
Favier shared her adult kids, 27-year-old Héloïse and 25-year-old Carlo, with the billionaire Robert Agostinelli, who co-founded the private equity firm Rhône Group.
“Maman, my heart aches and my brain is foggy,” Carlo wrote on social media, starting his message with the French word for mom.
“None of this makes sense, and I struggle to understand how any of it ever will. You were the incarnation of life, the definition of joy, and so much more than words could ever do justice.
“You loved and were loved more deeply than I think any of us will ever be able to understand.
“Life works in such unpredictable and mysterious ways, but as you always taught me, trust life’s plan, trust destiny, and let the rest take care of itself.”
Carlo paid tribute to his mom for being an “incredible role model.”
“I am strong because you taught me to be. Héloïse is with me, and always will be,” he said.
“Your beloved family, your sisters, your mother, your nephews and nieces, and all the friends who loved you so deeply are together, holding each other close, and we always will be. “You spent your life surrounding us with love, and that love will keep us together now. You don’t need to worry about us, Maman. We will look after one another, just as you always looked after all of us. I will make sure of it.
“I’ll carry every lesson you taught me for the rest of my life, and I’ll make it my life’s work to live in a way that will make you proud. I’ll make everything you gave me, everything you taught me, and every sacrifice you made count. That’s my promise to you and to the world.”
Carlo told his mother to “sleep well” before signing off his message, “I will love you forever, until we are reunited.”
Favier married Antoine Meyer before finding love with Altmayer. Her relationship with Meyer had ended by January 2013. It’s not clear when Favier and Altmayer started dating.
Altmayer was best known for producing the films “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies,” “In the House,” “Young & Beautiful,” and “Summer of 85.”
His film production career spanned almost 30 years and he amassed more than 80 credits, according to IMDB.
Celine Dion was among those to pay tribute to the couple and she said Favier’s smile “would be missed.”
“Mathilde was always kind to me,” she wrote on X. “A true source of joy and good humor; I could always count on her steadfast support, especially during my last stay in Paris.”
François Ozon, who directed “Young & Beautiful,” “In the House,” and “Summer of 85,” described Altmayer as a “great producer.”
“Stunned and saddened,” he said. “A supporter and a friend. 10 films together.”
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