I just saw the unbelievable news that the great perfumer Mona di Orio has suddenly passed away today.
I am deeply shocked and the right words fail me at the moment.
Still, I feel the need to talk about this incredible tragedy, and share my grief and shock with you, my readers and fellow fans of her work.
Mona’s perfumes have impressed me immensely this year and I feel honored that Mona reacted so favorably to my reviews and we exchanged several emails, where she impressed me as a genuinely lovely person, who is highly talented, educated and intelligent.
Apart from the personal loss of all those who knew her, her all to too early death leaves an incredible hole in Perfumeland, that cannot be closed ever again.
Mona leaves a fragrant legacy that will console us all, her olfactory imprint on our souls is thankfully indelible.
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I am so sad to hear this, and extremely shocked. Do you know if she was ill? I really feel like this was a major year for her work, and I was really looking forward to what she did next. Thank you for sharing this tragic news, Birgit.
No, I don’t know what happened. It is incredibly sad, such a beautiful and talented person with so much potential. Thank you for sharing those shocked minutes with me, Carrie!
Oh my. I can’t even think what to say, except to say that I share your shock and sense of tragedy. She was a uniquely talented perfumer, and her compositions always struck me as fiercely intelligent and complex creations, utterly her own. They will be her legacy.
It struck me on a personal level as well as from the perfume lover’s perspective. What a loss, what a tragedy…
How very sad, I was just starting to try her perfumes after your reviews. It is a tragic loss to the perfume world.
Absolutely, Andrea. She was such a talent!
What dreadful news, I am shocked. I love many of Mona’s fragrances and hope her perfumed legacy will live on. Condolences to all her family and friends. She will be much missed, she was a truly unique and wonderful perfumer.
So unbelievable that there will never be another perfume, and she had such plans. Incredibly sad.
I was very shocked, and now I’m just sad. She was young, and I feel had just come into the prime of her artistry! Her latest collection was her best. I’ve been ill, so I’d put off reviewing her glorious Oud until I felt well enought to do it justice. Now it will be an “In Memoriam” piece, and I’m just so sad.
I feel like you do, Marla. Shock, then deep, deep sadness.
I’m in incredible shock this morning. Mona has been one of my favorite perfumers since I first discovered her Jabu a few years back; since then I’ve discovered a few others, though I still haven’t tried the whole line. In addition, she’s very close to my age. This is yet another reminder that we are not here forever, and can be gone at any time. Very, very sad news. I grieve with all of you.
That’s what got to me too. She is our age, it can be over any day, no warning. It is a wake-up call to truly seize the day… Thank you for sharing your perspective, Joe.
I was very shocked to read the news and sad. She was so young! 😦 I am wearing her Oud as a small tribute to her. She seemed so lovely and interesting in her interviews.
She seemed intelligent and very accessible, I was impressed whenever I read an interview with her.
Her Oud is a masterpiece, I’m glad to own it.
I couldn’t believe it when I saw it on twitter. I’m still having a hard time believing it. I don’t think it’s sad, I believe it’s tragic. Such talent and such a lovely person, I don’t want it to be true. She was too young and there was so much life and inspiration before her.
I wonder what happened…
Me neither, I even thought it might be a sick joke, but sadly we have to grasp the unbelievable. It is tragic indeed.
I am shocked and sad to hear this. Such a wonderful lady and perfumer. I grieve her with all of you, too.
Thank you, Isabelle. It is good to come together and share our shock and sense of loss. How very hard it must be for her family and close friends…
I’m completely shocked. This is the first I heard of the news. I don’t know what to say.
I know how you feel. Such a shock.
Sad and shocking news. Her website is down. I would really like to know what happened.
I’m sure there will be some news as to what happened eventually.
I have heard that she had surgery and didn’t pull through. Don’t know how accurate this information is however.Her work touched me deeply, and she was so amazing.
Thanks, Sandi.
She was amazing!
I echo the condolences to her family and all who knew her and that includes you dear, B. It must have been terribly shocking for you after getting to know her a little via email. She did come across as an incredibly vibrant, talented yet down-to-earth lady. Such a tragedy and a great loss.
A tiny consolation is the fact that her latest collection was so widely loved by the perfume/blogging community and I’m sure that made her very happy.
Tara, you are so right. I’m sure her success with the new collection was a source of great happiness to her.
It is inconceivable that her life was so dramatically cut short…
Any death is a tragedy for those who are close. But some deaths touch even wider circles of people – which is the case here. I’m very sad. I was looking forward to many more great creations by Mona di Orio.
RIP
Me too.
Mona’s death will affect many who loved her creations and appreciated her amazing talent, even when they didn’t know her personally.
hello ,Birgit. How old was Mona? The pics I’ve seen reflect a youngish woman.May she RIP. T o her close friends and closest family ,who would be devastated,I wish and pray they can bond together and remember her very apparant ‘efference’.
Hi Sally, Mona was indeed young, I don’t know exactly, but late thirties, around forty, would be my guess. Thank you for your kind words. She will be remembered through her fragrant legacy.
I’m not exactly sure, but I remember reading somewhere that she was born in 1969 so that would make her about 42 yrs old. How sad and tragic that someone so talented has died so young.
Yes, 42 is right. So young.
This is such awful and shocking news. It is sad to think that such a talented, beautiful and from all accounts, wonderful woman has died so young.
My thoughts are with her family and friends.
Horrible news indeed. I hope it is a tiny bit of a consolation for the family to hear how much Mona was loved and admired by so many.
It appears she died during or shortly after a surgical procedure… only 42 years old. This was such a great year for her – a tragic loss.
That shows how easily things can go wrong…truly tragic. Thank you for the info, Tara C.
I enjoy your blog very much and learn a great deal from it. I was shocked and saddened by reading of this young lady’s sudden passing. What a pity! My deepest sympathy to her family, friends, and coworkers. A true loss of such a vibrant and creative spirit. She certainly added beauty to the world in her lifetime and, for that, we should all be grateful.
Hello HoneyDawn, thank you so much!
We should be grateful indeed, her perfumes will stay with us.
I was totally shocked and extremely saddened to hear the news earlier today. I still don’t think it has fully sunk in. She was having a blockbuster year with her Les Nombres d’Or line, a couple (Vanille and Vetyver) are in my top ten with the rest super-strong as well. Just a true tragedy on so many levels. She will definitely live on in her brilliant creations we love so much.
I am glad Mona had such a successful year, she so deserved the recognition.
Just this week I was looking at my fragrances and told myself I should order a back up bottle of Mona’s Musc since it is my COMFORT scent. It is so sad that such a young gifted perfumer who spoke of having so many more fragrances to create yet, should be lost in her very prime. So very shocked and so very sad.
Musc is wonderful, it is very comforting to me too.
We can be thankful that she left so many amazing perfumes, although I can’t believe she will never create anything again…
Such a shock. Mona was so incredibly talented and full of life, and I had looked forward to trying her fragrances. The perfume community lost a great today. I’m sending my well-wishes to her family, and I hope that when we all wear her scents that we remember the creative force behind them.
Oh, Joey, it is incredibly tragic. Thanks for being here.
It’s so sad when someone passes at such a young age, but especially someone as obviously talented as Mona. I have not tried any of her creations yet, nor did I have any personal correspondence, but my heart goes out to her loved ones.
I think everyone in the perfume community is affected by this untimely death.
This is really shocking news. I couldn’t believe it. Such a tragic lost for the perfume world and especially for her family.
I couldn’t believe it either, Civava!
Tears are rolling down my face , so very sorry .
Oh, Angie, me too! So sad. Hugs, my friend.
Birgit,
This news truly shocked and saddened our perfume community. My condolences go out to her family and friends. I was re-reading her biography on her website, and they mentioned that she died after back surgery. Something must have really gone wrong because anesthesia is much safer these days (my dad is an anesthesiologist). Her business partner will continue her work but we have lost her beautiful spirit.
Thank you for the information, Julie! Maybe there was an unexpected bleeding, or an allergic reaction…
I agree, Mona is irreplacable.
The news of Mona’s death was shocking to me and saddened me greatly. Such a creative artist and interesting woman. I cried when I read that as a young girl, she had saved up for her first real fragrance purchase–Guerlain’s L’Heure Bleue. That touched something in me. I would like to purchase at least one or two of her creations in 2012. Rest in peace.
Hello Jeannemarie,
thank you for commenting.
I felt the same, Mona’s death was shocking and extremely saddening.
Thankfully we have her wonderful perfumes, and I’m glad to own several, but it is still incinceivable to me that there will never be a new one…
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