Death in Venice star Björn Andrésen dies at 70

Björn Andrésen was a Swedish musician and actor. He passed away at the age of 70. The news of his death was broken by Kristian Petri, the co-director of the documentary, The Most Beautiful Boy in the World. However, the exact cause of death was not mentioned when Petri told the Swedish news outlet Dagens Nyheter.

Andréson began his journey to fame when he was cast in Luchino Visconti’s film, Death in Venice. To date, this has become one of the films Björn Andrésen was known for. He also gained the nickname "the most beautiful boy in the world" from Luchino. However, Andrésen revealed that he did not like being referred to as "the most beautiful boy in the world."

In 2023, Björn told The Guardian that the nickname the Italian director gave him stuck throughout his entire life. It had affected him personally and professionally. In his words:

"I felt like an exotic animal in a cage."

Four years later, in another interview with The Guardian, Andrésen was still bitter against Luchino Visconti. He said:

"I've never seen so many fascists and assholes as there are in film and theater... Luchino was the sort of cultural predator who would sacrifice anything or anyone for the work."

How did Björn Andrésen reclaim his name as "the most beautiful boy in the world"?

Björn Andrésen decided to take back power into his own hands and claim the nickname of "the most beautiful boy in the world." Four years ago, he agreed to be the subject of a documentary about his life called The Most Beautiful Boy in the World.

The documentary was co-directed by Kristian Petri and Kristina Lindström. The film heavily focused on Andrésen's life and the struggles he had to face.

When the documentary premiered at the Sundance Festival, it won the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize.

Furthermore, co-director Kristian Petri called Andrésen a "brave person" on Dagens Nyheter. He added:

"Kristina and I had long talked about wanting to make a full-length film about Björn... The idea was that he would tell his story himself, and we talked to him for a whole year before we started filming. Then we filmed for several years — and it was both a fun and at times painful shoot."

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Björn Andrésen passed away at the age of 70, leaving behind a legacy that touched many through both film and music. Though he faced many struggles after being labeled "the most beautiful boy in the world," he spent his later years reclaiming his story on his own terms.

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