Ali Reza Pahlavi ( fa, علیرضا پهلوی; 28 April 1966 – 4 January 2011) was a member of the Pahlavi Imperial Family of the

Imperial State of Iran Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, T ...

. He was the younger son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the former Shah of Iran and his third wife

Farah Diba Farah Pahlavi ( fa, فرح پهلوی, née Farah Diba ( fa, فرح دیبا, label=none); born 14 October 1938) is the widow of the last Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and was successively Queen and Empress (''Shahbanu'') of Iran from ...

. He was second in

order of succession An order of succession or right of succession is the line of individuals necessitated to hold a high office when it becomes vacated such as head of state or an honour such as a title of nobility.Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

Biography

Alireza Pahlavi was born on 28 April 1966. He attended the

Niavaran Palace The Niavaran Palace Complex ( fa, مجموعه کاخ نیاوران – ''Majmue ye Niāvarān'') is a historical palace complex situated in Shemiran (northern Tehran), Iran. It consists of several palace buildings and monuments dating back to ...

primary school in Iran but left Iran alongside his family shortly before the Iranian revolution. He moved to the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

where he attended Saint David's School in New York City and Mt Greylock Regional High School in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Pahlavi received a BA degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, a MA degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and was studying at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

as a

PhD student A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in ancient Iranian studies and

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

at the time of his death. He was engaged in 2001 to Sarah Tabatabai, but it seems that the relationship ended some time afterwards. From 2008-2010 he was in a relationship with Sherene Melania. He was once voted as one of the "world's most eligible princes."

Death

After a long period of depression, on 4 January 2011 Pahlavi died in his apartment in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

(

Back Bay Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and t ...

, 141 West Newton Street) from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Mahnaz Afkhami Mahnaz Afkhami (Persian: مهناز افخمی; born January 14, 1941) is an Iranian women's rights activist who served in the Cabinet of Iran from 1976 to 1978. She is founder and president of Women's Learning Partnership (WLP), executive direc ...

, the former Iranian Minister of Women's Affairs of the Shah's government, told the BBC World Service that Pahlavi and his family being forced into exile in 1979 was very "traumatic" for him and that he had experienced a "loss of identity" in exile. Alireza's sister,

Leila Pahlavi Leila Pahlavi ( fa, لیلا پهلوی, 27 March 1970 – 10 June 2001) was a princess of Iran and the youngest daughter of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, and his third wife, Farah Pahlavi. Early life Leila Pahlavi was born on 27 March 1 ...

also had committed suicide—in June 2001. Close family friends say that Alireza became very depressed after the death of his sister to whom he was very close. He was survived by his mother, Farah Pahlavi, his older brother Reza, his sister Farahnaz, half-sister Shahnaz and daughter Iryana Leila Pahlavi, who was born to his partner Raha Didevar after his death. His brother Reza Pahlavi said that his wish was to be cremated and for his ashes to be scattered in the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. On 23 January 2011, an official memorial was held in The Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland. The memorial was attended by the former Iranian imperial family and thousands of Iranians.

Ancestry

References

External links

Shah's Son Killed himself BBC

Pahlavi Dynasty's Website

Empress Farah Pahlavi Official Web Site

Britannica Online - Pahlavi Dynasty

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pahlavi, Ali Reza Ali Reza 1966 births 2011 deaths Columbia University alumni Harvard University alumni Iranian royalty Sons of emperors Iranian emigrants to the United States People from Tehran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Princeton University alumni Suicides by firearm in Massachusetts Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Zoroastrian studies scholars Mazandarani people 2011 suicides