Ali Reza Pahlavi, the second son of the former late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, committed suicide at his home in Boston early on Tuesday morning.
According to the Boston Police Department, Pahlavi was found dead of a "self-inflicted gunshot wound." He is survived by his mother Farah Diba, brother Reza, sister Farahnaz and half-sister Shahnaz. His younger sister Leila died of a drug overdose in 2001.
Pahlavi, 44, was a mere child on the brink of adolescence at the time of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He since devoted much of his life to studying the country -- and culture -- he was unable to remain physically connected to by virtue of his birth.
He had a Ph.D. from Harvard University where he studied at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
He could fill his head, but not his heart. Like many of his generation, including myself, he was left holding only a memory of home, with the added pain of never being able to return safely to his homeland.
According to Islam, suicide is considered a grievous sin, perhaps, in the end, he paid the steepest price... or was he a martyr, a sacrifice for a lost generation?
Below is the official statement posted on Reza Pahlavi's website:
With Immense Grief That We Would Like to Inform Our Compatriots of the Passing Away of Prince Alireza Pahlavi
RezaPahlavi.org | Jan 4
It is with immense grief that we would like to inform our compatriots of the passing away of Prince Alireza Pahlavi.
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.
Although he struggled for years to overcome his sorrow, he finally succumbed, and during the night of the 4th of January 2011, in his Boston residence, took his own life, plunging his family and friends into great sorrow.
Once again, we are joined with mothers, father and relatives of so many victims of these dark times for our country.
[Signed:] Reza Pahlavi, Farah Pahlavi, Farahnaz Pahlavi, Yasmine Pahlavi, Noor Pahlavi, Iman Pahlavi and Farah Pahlavi
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Note: I was aware, in this time of mourning, the harsh words in my comment sound cruel and uncivil, yet I felt I am in front of the panel of historic judgment and I have to be as honest as a person can be. If anyone in the circle of Pahlavis is offended, he/she should know the harshness, brutality and humiliations Iranians felt under Pahlavis was inexplicably atrocious. Regardless, I feel bad and if any apology can remedy my supposed errors I reluctantly go for it. What I have to repeat again is, I wish patience, peace and all the BEST for Farah whom I have come to admire after watching the Queen and I.
Those who know me will show grave astonishment finding out I, a fervent anti Shah, anti ruthless dictators, tearlessly cried when I found out Shah’s brighter son has killed himself.
I am an atheist, believe capitalism, the way practiced in US and many other countries in the world is a primitive, appalling and barbarous system. I wonder why most people can’t see that capitalism is the source of all our miseries in our short ambiguous lifves. (As a practical workable semi-just system I’ll favor the Scandinavian approaches for running their countries).
In my view, Shah, was a deranged psychotic man. Until mid 70s he was an obedient, spineless servant of his masters who were viciously ruling Iran (Amnesty International in mid 70s identified Iran is the worst violator of Human Rights in the world). All the records of oil contracts, transaction of arms purchases, and countless dealing with foreign companies AND the creation and behavior of SAVAK etc etc all chillingly prove who Shah was.
Hypothetically if there was no Shah, no blatant intervention of foreigners in Iranian internal affairs then Iran had perfected its democracy and now all Iranians, because of their captivating culture (which was evolved during 1000s of years) could have hold their heads high ( not in shame and embarrassment of being members of a backward theocratic state).
The above alone might articulate why Shah was such a horrible stooge. I have to rush to say that Shah’s father was also installed by British as well as Khomeini being forced down the throat of Iranians by foreigners in the same way they created Afghan Mojahedin, Pakistan and Afghan Islamic Republics or created Hamas in the occupied Palestine.
From the film ‘Queen and I’ I found out, Farah, by no means, is as deplorable as Ashraf (Shah’ sister) was. On the contrary Farah is, in my view, like a normal likeable housewife who, as usual, has brainwashed herself that ‘Her Man is the Greatest Sole in the world’. Such a deceptive self-indoctrination is amply explained by scientists of different fields. Farah’s blindness to see the transgressions of her husband is understandable and forgivable. Maybe her unforgivable offense is she didn’t attempt to stop her relatives indulge themselves in an orgy of plundering the country. However since I do not know all the facts I am sticking to the civil rule that Farah is innocent until she is proven guilty.
From media I knew Ali Reza, and her sister Leyla (who also committed suicide in 2006) were both bright. I imagine both possessed admirable sense of Integrity / honesty. I cant help contemplating the enormous pains Ali Reza felt when in the university he was studying the history of Iran. I know if I was in his place similarly couldn’t tolerate that heavy amount of anguish after finding out what had happened. The agonies must have been beyond the ordinary thresholds of human tolerance...... I feel his pains..... I identify him and her sister as part of my soul and psyche....in an uncanny way I salute to both of them.
I can’t explain my sympathetic emotions and how I feel about Farah now, one loss was too many, two is beyond pains, undescribable pains...
At one point I nearly felt all.....that is why I cried close to having tears...
Am I angry? Noway, ancient Iranian thinkers have taught me anger, revenge or violence are animalistic..I try to enter Rumi’s realm, be the entity which is “beyond any imagination”, the entity that its compassion fills all the infinite spaces.
My thoughts are with Farah, who for days has hidden herself in a room, not talking to anyone. I just want to tell her even some of those who were once in the camp of her husband’s harsh cirtics are trying to reach out to her and pass their deeply heart-felt condolences....
RIP Alireza. I wonder if his depression had anything to do with the crimes his father committed.
Having a 22 karat gold commode was just sacrilegious.
My position remains that this young man died prematurely and it is a tragedy for his family either way. May he rest in peace.
Quote begins: "as I recall the U.S. govt. Froze all the personal assets of the royal family and wouldn't even allow them to come to the U.S for the shah's cancer treatment. If it wasn't for president Sadaat of Egypt giving the shah and his family asylum, they would've turned the shah and his family in to the blood thirsty Iranian revolutionaries, who would've eaten them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That was a shameful way to treat your former allies. I wonder how witnessing this lack of humanity might have set the stage for the depression that those poor royal children suffered later in life."