Son of the Shah of Iran kills self in Hub

Son of the Shah of Iran kills self in Hub
By O’Ryan Johnson  |   Tuesday, January 4, 2011  |  http://www.bostonherald.com  |  Local Coverage

In this April 15, 2005 file photo, Alireza Pahlavi is seen during Prince Rainier III’s funeral procession, in Monaco.
Photo by AP

The son of the deposed Shah of Iran and onetime heir to the throne committed suicide early this morning in his South End brownstone, according to authorities and a statement from his family.

A gracious and unassuming man, Prince Ali Reza Pahlavi, 44, had lived on West Newton Street for at least four years, where folks on the street whispered about his royal lineage and expensive cars and clothes, neighbors said. Pahlavi’s family released a statement mourning his death and calling it a suicide.

“Like millions of young Iranians, he too was deeply disturbed by all the ills fallen upon his beloved homeland, as well as carrying the burden of losing a father and a sister in his young life,” read the statement signed by several surviving members of his family. “Although he struggled for years to overcome his sorrow, he finally succumbed, and during the day of the 4th of January 2011, in his Boston residence, took his own life, plunging his family and friends into great sorrow.”

Daniel Shannon, who lived across the street from Pahlavi, said he first met the would-be heir in Tehran in 1973 and 1975 while consulting the Shah with a group of doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital.

“My clinical area was pediatrics, so I was curious what it was like for an 8-year-old and he spoke English already,” Shannon said. “The kids were raised speaking English, French and Farsi ... He was sort of eager. Seemed very smart.”

Shannon said he did not return to Iran following the 1979 revolution, but stopped in his tracks one day four or five years ago when he spotted Ali step out of a black Porsche.

The family’s statement said Pahlavi went to Harvard University where he pursued a graduate degree in Ancient Iranian Studies.

Shannon’s wife Marcia Lloyd said the couple spotted Pahlavi on his stoop occasionally wearing luxurious robes, but spoke to him only once. She said he was gracious until the subject of his past came up.

The Suffolk district attorney’s office is investigating Pahlavi’s death.

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