Gia Marie Carangi is one of the most successful supermodels of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the young star could not cope with her popularity and became addicted to hard drugs.
Family and the beginning of a modeling career
Gia Marie Carangi was born in 1960 in Philadelphia, the largest city in the US state of Pennsylvania. Her father, Joseph, was half Italian. He owned a food processing business. Her mother, Kathleen Adams, was Irish. Kathleen left the family when her daughter was only 11 years old. Her father did not have enough time for Giyu, so she often suffered from loneliness. In her biography and further destiny, this feeling turned out to be extremely important.
From an early age, Gia dreamed of a modeling career, as if she always knew that this was her destiny. She did not doubt her own success, so at the age of 17 she confidently moved to New York, where she began to submit portfolios to the best agencies. There, the girl was often visited by her mother, but the feeling of uselessness and loneliness continued to haunt her.
Popularity and drug addiction
The attractive brown-eyed brunette quickly gained popularity, and within 3 months she began working with the best photographers in the United States and fulfilling orders for Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Bloomingdale's. Over the next two years, Karanji became one of the first world-class supermodels. Even provocative nude footage brought not only criticism, but also an extraordinary rise in demand. The model began to make millions. She could afford to meticulously select all offers, which she did.
Already at the age of 17, having received her first money, the model went to drown out loneliness in the best clubs in New York. The nightlife of that time was characterized by an abundance of promiscuous sexual relations and psychoactive substances. At 18, she was already addicted to cocaine, and two years later - to heroin.
Career decline
Since 1979, Gia began to gain fame as an irresponsible model, regularly late for work and showing inappropriate behavior. Some photographers noted that the young star allowed herself to use drugs while working. They had to endure this attitude, because Karanji was a world famous celebrity. Gradually, patience began to fade, because Gia began to look far from model: her hands were bruised from syringes, there were always deep black circles under her eyes. It became more and more difficult to retouch her photographs.
By 1982, the model gained a few extra pounds of weight, which was unacceptable for models of this level. Her bruised hands had to be hidden, and the constant breaking did not allow her to professionally carry out her work. The cover for Cosmopolitan in 1982 was her last.
Attempts at rehabilitation
By 1981, virtually all agencies and brands had severed ties with her. Jia realized that this could no longer go on. At the age of 21, Karanji decided to start drug addiction treatment. Unfortunately, during the rehabilitation courses, she met a young drug addict, with whom she began a lesbian relationship. Both girls dropped out of rehab and only worsened their addiction. After that, there were several more desperate attempts to recover, but they all ended in failure.
Gia Carangi stopped trying to regain her former glory already in 1983, and completely plunged into drug delirium. She had spent all the money she earned by this time, which is why she had to apply for unemployment benefits. She repeatedly asked for money from relatives and even stole things from her mother. In 1985, she began making a living as a prostitute. Her former colleagues and fans had no idea how the star of glossy magazines lives.
Last years and death
Gia Marie Carangi fell ill with AIDS, as her family became aware of in 1986. Her body began to become covered with ulcers and literally decomposed during her lifetime. At the end of the same year, the once successful supermodel passed away, she was only 26 years old. The body was mutilated with drugs to such an extent that the girl had to be buried in a closed coffin.
The Karanji family wanted to hide the shameful death of their daughter, so the modeling society found out about her death, which would take years. In 1998, based on her story, the film "Gia" was shot with Angelina Jolie in the title role.
