The 25-year-old grandson of silver-screen icon Rita Hayworth was found dead in his Chelsea apartment with a plastic bag over his head, an apparent suicide, sources told the Daily News.
Andrew Ali Aga Khan Embiricos’ body was discovered just after 9 p.m. Sunday by a close pal, Aaron Edwards, 33, who went to check on him after he missed several appointments.
He was lying face up in his bed at his home inside The Grand Chelsea at 270 W. 17th St., a source said.
Cops went to Embiricos’s apartment after receiving a 911 call.
The body was taken to the city Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, sources said.
The Medical Examiner determined that Embiricos died between 8:30 p.m. and 8:50 p.m. Sunday and that the preliminary cause of death an “apparent suicide,” a source said Monday.
A graduate of Fordham University with a degree in psychology, Embiricos founded a Facebook charity group that provided clothing to homeless people.
On his LinkedIn page he said he worked as a sales executive for Virgin Atlantic Airways.
He also worked with HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and the Alzheimer’s Association. Hayworth died of the mind-robbing disease.
But Embiricos had a dark side too: In 2007, The News’ Gatecrasher column revealed he led a double life as an amateur porn enthusiast who had posted porn videos on XTube under an alias.
“I’m deeply saddened by the loss of someone with such radioactive charisma,” legendary Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto, who knew Embiricos from the New York night-life scene, wrote on his blog Monday night.
Musto revealed that Embiricos had been battling HIV, had been in and out of drug rehab and had attempted suicide before. He said Embiricos had sounded cheerful in recent Facebook comments and was planning a trip to London with a friend.
He said Embiricos did not leave a suicide note.
“He was a strikingly handsome, personable guy who radiated charm no matter what crisis he was weathering,” Musto wrote.
Embiricos is the child of Hayworth’s daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, 61, a philanthropist known for raising public awareness of Alzheimer’s disease
His father is Greek shipping heir Basil Embiricos.
“Princess Yasmin Aga Khan is a longtime member of the Alzheimer’s Association family. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time,” said MaryKate Wilson, spokeswoman for the Alzheimer’s Association.
His uncle is Prince Karim Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims worldwide.
“We do not know what happened yet, and we would appreciate everyone’s privacy for the family,” said Kris Janowski, head of communications for Prince Karim Aga Khan.
Embiricos grandfather, Prince Aly Aga Khan, married Hayworth in 1949.
Hayworth, who was married five time, died in New York in 1987 at the age of 68 after battling Alzheimer’s disease.
An actress and a dancer, Hayworth was a huge star of 1940s Hollywood and made 61 films, including “Dante’s Inferno” with Spencer Tracy and “Cover Girl” with Gene Kelly. Her most famous role came in the 1946 film “Gilda,” in which she played the wife of a sinister casino boss.
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/sources-andrew-embiricos-grandson-screen-star-rita-hayworth-found-dead-chelsea-apartment-article-1.987096
