Loana Petrucciani, star of the first season of 'Loft Story' in 2001, was found dead on March 25 at her Nice apartment at age 48. Her death, which occurred several days earlier, has prompted an investigation into the exact causes, as media figures pay tribute and criticize a Charlie Hebdo caricature.
Loana Petrucciani, winner of 'Loft Story' on M6 in 2001 and France's first reality TV star, was found dead on March 25, 2026, in her central Nice apartment. A concerned neighbor alerted firefighters around 6 p.m. the previous day after not seeing her for several days. Rescuers entered through a window, as the apartment was locked from the inside, and discovered her body along with her dead dog. Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli confirmed the death occurred several days earlier. Initial findings show a wound on the back of the skull and bruises in the lumbar region, consistent with a backward fall. No evidence suggests third-party involvement. An autopsy and toxicology tests are underway, and the apartment is sealed. An investigation into the causes of death has been opened and assigned to Nice's judicial police. Her best friend, Laurent Amar, revealed on W9's 'TBT9' that Loana had told her mother, Violette Petrucciani, she wished to be cremated. Cyril Hanouna announced the news live, stunning the studio. Gilles Verdez lamented: 'I find it unworthy […] it affects her memory.' Matthieu Delormeau called a Charlie Hebdo caricature 'mean,' depicting Loana in a bikini with cigarettes in her nose and the caption 'Sniffez la vie par les deux trous' ('Sniff life through both holes'). The drawing drew backlash on social media: 'It's infamous,' 'The drawing wants to be funny? I see only contempt.'
