Daria Nicolodi, Italian actress, co-writer of original Suspiria and partner of Dario Argento, dies at 70

Daria Nicolodi, the Italian actress and screenwriter who co-wrote Dario Argento's Giallo classic Suspiria (1977), has passed away at the age of 70. Nicolodi was also romantically involved with Argento throughout the 1970s and '80s; together, they had one daughter, Asia. It was Asia who confirmed the sad news on Instagram, who wrote the following message (translated from Italian by Google):

"Rest in peace beloved mother. Now you can fly free with your great spirit and you won't have to suffer anymore. I will try to go on for your beloved grandchildren and especially for you who would never want to see me so grieved. Even if without you I miss the ground under my feet, and I feel I have lost my only true point of reference. I am close to all those who have known and loved her."

Born in Tuscany in June of 1950, Nicolodi's acting began in 1970 with Francesco Rosi's Many Wars Ago. Her first collaboration with Argento came via 1975's Deep Red (originally titled: Profondo rosso), a Giallo film about a web of intrigue that begins to unfold after a psychic is brutally murdered. From there, the actress appeared in several more Argento projects: Inferno (1980), Tenebre (1982), Phenomena (1985), and Opera (1987). She was supposed to appear in Suspiria as well, but sustained an injury prior to filming and was ultimately replaced by Stefania Casini.

Thanks to its iconic use of color and disjointed/shocking imagery, Suspiria (the story of an American dance student who attends a German dance academy run by an academy of witches) remains one of the most influential pieces of Giallo cinema ever made. The project was recently remade by Luca Guadagnino.

"The inspiration came from a tale my grandmother, Yvonne, used to tell me when I was a child, after an experience she had in a northern acting academy where she discovered the teachers were teaching arts, but also black magic," Nicolodi allegedly told GoreZone Magazine. "I was fond of this story of her's, more than Pinnocchio by Collodi, and when I told it to Dario it was natural for him to fall in love with it, too. It was his first step from thrillers to fantasy-alchemy movies, and we did it together."

Nicolodi is survived by Argento; her daughter, Asia; and two grandchildren, Anna Lou Castoldi and Nicola Giovanni Civetta.

(certain biographical info and quote via IMDB)