NEW YORK – Italian restaurateur Sirio Maccioni, who opened the celebrated French restaurant Le Cirque and watched it grow into arguably Manhattan’s favorite dining room of the rich and famous, has died in Italy.
He was 88. Maccioni's son, Mauro, told The Associated Press that his father died in the family's villa in Tuscany early Monday.
He had suffered from the effects of a stroke and Alzheimer’s disease, the son said. Le Cirque was famed for its decadent Grand Marnier souffles and terrines of rabbit rillette.
The starry guest list included Frank Sinatra, Henry Kissinger, Princess Grace, Bill Blass, Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Diana Ross and Nancy and Ronald Reagan.