Milan – 35 minutes ago, in a seemingly peaceful scene at the luxury hotel Villa Seraphina, which regularly hosts international superstars, an unexpected tragedy struck. Oprah Winfrey, a global media icon, was found lying motionless in the marble lobby, after a terrible fall from the 4th floor balcony. Italian police have sealed off the entire area, and criminal investigators have been investigating overnight.
According to witnesses at the scene, the incident happened at around 21:17 local time. A German tourist named Marta Kleiner recounted in a state of panic:
“I had just left the elevator when I heard an extremely sharp and piercing scream. Before I could react, there was a very loud noise, like a bag of concrete falling on the stone floor. The person lying there was Oprah… I was speechless.”
Immediately after the fall, many tourists and hotel staff rushed to the scene, some screaming for help, some using their phones to record, causing the scene to quickly be surrounded by a chaotic crowd.
Less than 10 minutes after the news spread through a Twitter account of a French photographer staying at the hotel, paparazzi and Italian press rushed to the scene. Flashes continuously flashed through the lobby glass. Hotel staff tried to cover Oprah’s body with a cloth to avoid the lens, but dark red blood stained the marble floor. A Hermes handbag with a broken strap lay on the ground, as the last inanimate evidence of that terrifying moment.
The Milan city medical emergency team (Emergenza Milano) arrived at the scene after 7 minutes. According to the official information from the head nurse Claudia Ventresca:
“We found a black female patient, unconscious, with signs of severe multiple trauma to the head, chest and lower limbs. She was put on an oxygen mask, a neck brace and an emergency IV before being transferred to the ambulance.”
Oprah was transferred to San Raffaele Hospital, a leading medical center in northern Italy. The media gathered outside the ICU door, while the monitor screen in the emergency room was constantly red, signaling an extremely critical condition.
“She had two cardiac arrests on the operating table. The medical team performed CPR and electric shock. She had severe brain trauma, a broken pelvis, and severe blood loss. The situation is still unpredictable.”
This situation has the whole world worried. On social media, a series of hashtags exploded:
#PrayForOprah
#OprahInICU
#MilanTragedy
Suspicion: Fall, accident, or someone pushed?
Milan police are urgently seizing all the hotel’s security cameras. In a brief press conference at 22:45, a spokesman for the Carabinieri force confirmed:
“We do not rule out any possibility: accident, intentional pushing, or even assassination attempt. There was an unidentified man who left room 405 – where Oprah was staying – a few minutes before the incident.”
A “double incident” further fueled suspicion: while the emergency was taking place, one of the security cameras on the fourth floor suddenly lost signal, suspected to be due to an external impact. The technical team is checking the possibility that the camera was disabled before the accident – a worrying sign.
Global Response – Sea of Prayers, Colleagues’ Tears
In the US, fans quickly gathered outside the Oprah Winfrey Network in Los Angeles, carrying white flowers, candles, and portraits of her. Stars like Gayle King, Tyler Perry, Viola Davis, and Barack Obama all posted prayers.
Michelle Obama wrote on X (Twitter):
“My heart aches for the news about Oprah. This woman is a symbol of hope for millions. Please be strong, my dear friend.”
Despite the medical team’s best efforts, at 23:59 (Milan time), San Raffaele Hospital confirmed that Oprah Winfrey had died, aged 71. The announcement was read by chief physician Giovanni Bassi:
“We did everything we could. Oprah passed away in the arms of the medical staff, without pain.”
Global mourning – Sea of candles in Chicago, flags at half-mast in the US
From Chicago, where Oprah began her career, thousands of people flocked to the street where she once broadcast her legendary talk show, lighting candles in memory. The US President ordered flags to be flown at half-mast for 3 days. Major channels such as CNN, BBC, NBC simultaneously stopped their programs to re-broadcast Oprah’s memorable moments.
Italians left hundreds of bouquets of flowers at the Villa Seraphina hotel, with the handwritten message:
“Addio, Regina della Televisione” – Goodbye, Queen of Television.
Outside the hospital, a 9-year-old black boy burst into tears when his mother told him that Oprah had passed away. In his hand was the book “What I Know For Sure” – the last book Oprah signed in Milan this morning.
The whole world seemed to stop in that moment.
