Giorgio Armani, founder of the influential fashion house that bore his name, died Thursday at 91. His company's official Instagram page shared the news of his death. "With infinite condolences, the Armani group announces the passing of its inventor, founder, and tireless engine: Giorgio Armani," the statement reads. "Mr. Armani, as he was always called with respect and admiration by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones. Tireless, he has worked until the last days, dedicating himself to the company, to the collections, to the different and always new projects in being and to becoming."The fashion mogul leaves a monumental legacy in the fashion industry and is one of its greatest LGBTQ+ figures but he kept his personal life very private. However, throughout the years, the public learned a bit more about his life. Ahead is a timeline of interviews Armani gave in which he addressed his sexuality and partners.Vanity Fair interview, 2000. Fashion designer Giorgio Armani walks the runway with two models during Paris Fashion Week, 2024.Marc Piasecki/WireImageThe head of the fashion house kept his private life very private while ascending to international fame. Twenty-five years into his career, however, Armani opened up about his love life, which was referenced in an interview with Vanity Fair in 2000. "I have had women in my life. And sometimes men," he said. The label head talked about meeting his long-term partner, Sergio Galeotti, in 1966 at 32 and falling in love."Right away he made me Papa I felt right away responsible for him and for his life," Armani recalled about the beginning of their relationship. "Suddenly it became a relationship of deep affection." The two built the brand together until Galeotti passed away from complications from AIDS in 1985. "He is still there all the time. He is always there in my head. I see him walking down the steps, I see him in the garden, with his cigarette he is talking to friends. He is always there."Corriere della Sera interview, 2024. Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani walks the runway during the Giorgio Armani "One Night Only Dubai" fashion show, 2021.Cedric Ribeiro/Getty ImagesThe most recent look into the mogul's private life was the interview he did with Corriere della Sera last October, where he opened up about losing his virginity to a girl and having a crush on a boy as a young kid. "I've never talked about this," he said in the interview. "It happened under a shed on the beach at Misano, at five in the afternoon, when all the boys from the summer camp were supposed to have a bit of a quiet time."He continued, "I was in a group of boys, and there was a supervisor, a young man, who I felt immediately attracted to. I didn't fully understand it at the time, and I didn't pursue it. But from that moment on, my life took a different turn."Armani went on to say that he had to investigate those feelings, "I didn't understand what it was. I didn't distinguish between men and women at the time. It was just an attraction I felt, something beautiful: I couldn't wait to be near him, to be touched I felt a huge connection."Two decades after the Vanity Fair piece in which he acknowledged his attraction to men for the first time, Armani discussed his late partner Galeotti whose "Tuscan smile" was something that Armani was drawn to."When Sergio died, a part of me died with him. I'm still amazed that I found within myself the resilience to withstand such an immense pain," the fashion mogul said. "I had to tap into my willpower to deal with all the pain and anguish. A whole year spent next to Sergio in his hospital bed. And it all happened as our career was taking off, when we were becoming known, setting up our company, reaching worldwide fame. It was the moment I was gaining confidence in myself, then this blow hit me."To Corriere della Sera, Armani also revealed is in a relationship with Leo Dell'Orco, who is head of the men's design for his fashion brand. While the two never married and Armani wouldn't give a label for his relationship with Dell'Orco, Armani shared that he wore a "wonderful ring with a diamond" that he once had to save from a fire."I think it over and realize there's no point in being in love and giving it so little space, because I just don't have that much space," he explained. "But I have deep affection for Leo, who has lived with me for years and is the person closest to me."The Financial Times interview, 2025. See on Instagram Earlier this week, Armani announced what would happen to his empire if he were to die and he pointed to Dell'Orco by name. "My succession plans consist of a gradual transition of the responsibilities," the legendary designer told The Financial Times. "I have always assumed towards Leo Dell'Orco, the members of my family and the work team." The Financial Times notes how it was Dell'Orco who represented Armani at the brand's recent Milan menswear runways. I would like the succession to be organic and not a moment of rupture, Armani told the outlet prior to his death.