In the days leading up to his death on March 15, 1975, Aristotle Onassis received an unexpected visit from Maria Callas in his private room at the American Hospital in Paris. Kiki Feroudi Moutsatsos, who served as Onassis’ personal secretary, described the moment as devastating for the renowned opera singer.
“She knew because she had spoken to the doctor that there was no hope — that he was almost dead, finished,” Moutsatsos recalled. “Maria had no hope that they would ever be together again.”
Love, loss, and longing mark the final chapter of Onassis and Callas’ story
This poignant encounter is portrayed in the new biopic Maria, directed by Pablo Larraín, with Angelina Jolie taking on the role of the passionate opera star. At the time of his passing, Onassis was still married to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, though their relationship had become increasingly distant. He was also involved with Callas, the American-born Greek soprano he had first met in 1957.
Moutsatsos, now 75, was instrumental in arranging their meetings, having coordinated many of their secret encounters over the years. She shared, “We tried to know exactly when his daughter, Christina, or when Jackie would visit him in order to tell Maria that she could go and visit Aristo.”
Using her preferred name for Onassis, Moutsatsos explained her approach: “I informed Maria because I knew if Christina would be in Athens and if Jackie was in the United States, and I knew which day they were supposed to return, I told Maria this is the correct day that you can visit him without any fear.”
Shortly after their visit, the Greek shipping magnate passed away at the age of 69 due to respiratory failure stemming from myasthenia gravis. Moutsatsos reflected on their bond, saying, “They were like twins. They thought they were born for each other — that they would never be separated.”
In her memoir, The Onassis Women: An Eyewitness Account, which is currently being adapted into a new series by Heidi Lauren Duke, Moutsatsos explores the enduring love affair between Onassis and Callas, which persisted throughout his marriage.
“He liked to have beautiful women next to him, and Maria was very jealous,” she recounted. “She was always fighting with him.” Yet, she added, “He couldn’t live without her. She was a piece of his body, a piece of his soul, a piece of his brain. They never stopped seeing each other.”
Following Onassis’ death, Moutsatsos noted, “Maria was desperate. She didn’t want to live anymore.” She explained how both suffered similar fates, as Onassis had lost the will to live after the death of his son.
On January 23, 1973, Onassis’ son Alexander tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 24. Moutsatsos remarked that Onassis never fully recovered from this loss. After his death in 1975, she observed that “Maria was living in her own world.
She didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to go out, and didn’t want to speak with friends. She lost her appetite to live.” Eventually, on September 16, 1977, Maria Callas died of a heart attack at the age of 53.
