A 27.3mg per litre concentration of Seconal was discovered in the blood of Leila Pahlavi following her death in a West London hotel on 10 June 2001. As the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Shah and Farah Pahlavi, she spent her formative years transitioning from the Niavaran Palace in Tehran to a life of extended international exile.
Early Life and Exile
Born on 27 March 1970, Pahlavi lived within the royal residences of northern Tehran until the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Following the collapse of the monarchy, her family moved through Egypt, Morocco, the Bahamas, Mexico, the United States, and Panama. During this period, she attended institutions including the Pine Cobble School, the Marymount School of New York, and the United Nations International School in Manhattan, ultimately graduating from the Rye Country Day School in 1988.
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She enrolled at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, focusing her studies on literature and philosophy. Beyond her academic interests, she worked as a model for the designer Valentino. Her linguistic capabilities included fluency in Persian, English, and French, with additional proficiency in Spanish and Italian. Throughout her adult life, she frequently commuted between her base in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Paris, where her mother resided.
Medical History and Final Days
In her final years, she contended with anorexia nervosa, bulimia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and severe depression. An inquest by the Westminster Coroner's Court revealed she had obtained significant quantities of controlled substances, including Seconal, Palfium, and Rohypnol. She was discovered deceased in the Leonard Hotel at age 31. Toxicology reports confirmed the presence of multiple medications at levels far exceeding standard therapeutic use.
Interment and Legacy
Funeral services were held on 17 June 2001. Pahlavi was interred in the Passy Cemetery in Paris, France, resting near her maternal grandmother, Farideh Diba. Attendees at the ceremony included members of the former Iranian royal family, the French royal family, and figures such as Frederic Mitterrand. Her brother, Ali Reza Pahlavi, also died by suicide in Boston, Massachusetts, on 4 January 2011.
Fast facts
- Born: 27 March 1970, Tehran
- Died: 10 June 2001, London
- Education: Brown University
- Primary Occupations: Translator, model
- Languages: Persian, English, French, Spanish, Italian
- Burial Site: Passy Cemetery, Paris
- Parentage: Mohammad Reza Shah and Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi
Questions readers ask
What was the cause of Leila Pahlavi's death?
She died from an overdose of the barbiturate Seconal, alongside other prescription medications, at the age of 31.
Did she graduate from Brown University?
She studied literature and philosophy at Brown, though sources vary on whether she completed her degree or withdrew due to health issues.
