Maria Callas and Onassis. Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas: a story of passionate love and humiliation. Conquering the heights of the opera stage

Love triangles involving famous people always arouse genuine interest. And if the main characters are the recently widowed first lady of America, an odious Greek billionaire and a temperamental opera diva, then with a high probability this “intricacy” will be remembered for many years to come. the site tells the tragic story of the relationship between Jacqueline Kennedy, Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas.

Greek Maria Callas, before meeting the Greek businessman Aristotle Onassis, was already a famous and beloved opera singer and star of La Scala. She toured all over the world and was already considered one of the greatest opera divas of the twentieth century. Callas didn't just sing - she turned every performance into a show. Thanks to her innate artistry, she managed to attract one of the richest people on the planet. “If Madame Callas had chosen politics instead of opera, she would definitely have become the most powerful woman in the world,” Onassis told a friend after attending her performance for the first time. The billionaire shipowner believed that as soon as he beckoned Maria with his finger, she would immediately come running. However, she had been married for several years to Italian industrialist Giovanni Battista Meneghini, who was also her manager and producer.

Aristotle, by the way, was also married, but this did not stop him at all. His wife Tina gave birth to his son Alexander and daughter Christina, but the oligarch became bored with family life, and he was looking for something new - a woman who would bring glamor, fire, passion into his life. Callas was perfect for this role.

Before each concert, Onassis sent huge bouquets of roses to her dressing room, signing himself “another Greek.”

In the end, in 1957, at one of the parties, they met in person. 51-year-old Aristotle, fascinated by 34-year-old Maria, invited her and her husband on a cruise on his yacht Christina. The singer refused for a long time, because, according to her, she had absolutely no time for entertainment. Callas understood the dangers that a vacation with Onassis would pose for her marriage (which had long been a mere formality), so she did not accept the billionaire’s invitation for a long time. He waited patiently, realizing that one day the ice would melt. Aristotle regularly sent the singer expensive gifts and organized parties for her, to which the right people obediently came, but “hard to reach” even for Mary. From time to time, in a completely unobtrusive manner, the gallant boyfriend reminded that the invitation to relax on his yacht was still valid... One day, Callas and Meneghini agreed, not knowing that this would be their last trip together.

Behind him alone

From the very first days of the cruise, Mary and Aristotle openly enjoyed each other's company. Giovanni lay in the cabin almost all the time because he suffered from seasickness, and Tina, seeing her flirting husband, began to suspect something was wrong. She has long been accustomed to Onassis’s endless infidelities, but girls for a week, a day or an hour are one thing, and another is a serious hobby that risks breaking up a marriage. Tina's instincts did not deceive her. Callas and Onassis constantly joked, exchanged glances and repeatedly retired below deck... Thus began one of the loudest, but at the same time tragic novels of the 20th century. Maria threw herself into the pool headlong. “The woman who did not know half measures,” as her relatives called her, immediately told her husband that everything was over between them, because only with Aristotle could she be happy - especially since he was going to divorce.

Callas began a new life, and it was as if wings had grown behind her back. However, Onassis, like a true insidious tempter, realizing that the victim had been caught, began to disappear for weeks. Every time a grief-stricken Maria thought it was all over, he showed up again. It turned out that the businessman doubted whether he should leave his family. The headlines of all the world's media were full of the names of the opera diva and billionaire, and Aristotle enjoyed it, because this is exactly what he lacked in his former boring life with Tina. By the way, she soon filed for divorce herself because of his “cruelty.”

For the first time in her life, Callas fell in love.

She completely surrendered to her feeling, dissolved in it. Onassis captured her heart.

Maria decided to temporarily interrupt her career. Wherever Aristotle went, wherever he went, she followed him everywhere, and he flew to her at the first opportunity (she lived in Paris, he lived on his own Greek island of Skorpios). Divorce and a series of scandals associated with difficult relationships caused extreme stress, due to which the singer lost her voice. In 1959, there was a turning point in her brilliant career, which suddenly ceased to be so. In subsequent years, the relationship between the two temperamental people continued to be difficult. Quarrels in this union were commonplace - most often the reason for sorting things out was Onassis's reluctance to officially marry.

Interests on the side

Aristotle could not resist the need to have affairs with new women - although he was in a relationship. This happened with Tina, and the same happened with Maria. Even while experiencing a brilliant romance with the singer, the entrepreneur did not deny himself the pleasure of having an affair with Lee Radziwill, the younger sister of Jackie Kennedy. She was a socialite and enjoyed increased interest among men. Of course, Onassis could not pass by. He was impressed by the fact that she was closely acquainted with US President John Kennedy. The fact is that the billionaire could not establish a partnership with American representatives of the shipping business. He decided to kill two birds with one stone: to enjoy the beauty Li, and at the same time try to settle his affairs with the help of the head of state.

In 1963, Jackie and John Kennedy's newborn son Patrick died. Aristotle suggested that Lee invite his sister to his yacht so that she could rest and recover from the experience. At the same time, he would have the opportunity to start talking to her about his own business. He did not invite Maria, but she knew very well how her amore spent her leisure time. Jacqueline accepted the invitation and, judging by the paparazzi photographs, had a good time in the company of her sister and her boyfriend. True, the fact that Aristotle dated two women at once did not prevent her from accepting attentions from the loving tycoon. Callas, meanwhile, was so worried about her Onassis’s affair with Lee that rumors about his affair with the First Lady of the United States became a real relief for her. She decided that there were no feelings involved - only business. And even the fact that Jackie and Aristotle were seen together at dinner several times did not bother Maria. In the end, the shipowner told Callas: “I love you, but I need Jackie.” According to a close friend of the opera singer, at some point the fact that Jacqueline could influence her husband regarding Aristotle’s company outweighed her feelings for Maria. They were still together, although their romance was overshadowed by scandals every now and then.

Love or profit?

A few months after the meeting between the entrepreneur and the first lady of the United States, John Kennedy was assassinated. After his death, Jacqueline experienced depression. She was burdened by the image of the holy martyr that the Americans awarded her. She was a living legend, people adored her, but she didn’t need all this. She was afraid of one thing - new attacks on her family.

Onassis was right there. He constantly visited the widow and was ready to solve any of her problems, including money. She was glad for his support and sympathy, and she was not embarrassed by the fact that the influential admirer was still in a relationship with Callas. The most interesting thing is that the businessman himself did not want to let the singer go! In 1966, she had an abortion so late that doctors were able to determine the sex of the child - it was a boy.

Callas always wanted children, but Onassis said that if she left this child, he would immediately end their relationship.

If only she knew then that in fact Aristotle was in full swing preparing for his wedding with Jackie...

Onassis was called a “thief in law.” He made his first million at the age of twenty-five, he had all the necessary people “in his pocket,” and US anti-mafia structures could not convict the entrepreneur of illegal activities. With his money he could buy anything except the love of Americans. He sincerely hoped that “saint” Jacqueline would help him with this too.

The only person opposed to this marriage was Robert (Bobby) Kennedy. The Kennedy brothers hated Onassis. A special mutual hostility connected Aristotle with Bobby, who, according to the businessman, constantly put a spoke in his wheels. He truly was a fierce champion of justice, and when he became Prosecutor General, he declared war on the mafia. There were also rumors that married Bobby had an affair with the widow of his murdered brother... So Robert had plenty of reasons to hate Aristotle. When he was shot in 1968, people began to say that it was with Onassis’s money that the attempt was made (there is no reliable evidence for this theory). Jackie didn't believe it. She begged Aristotle to take her away from “this terrible country full of murders.” The former first lady feared for the lives of her children.

From love to hate

Onassis proposed to Kennedy. He wanted to protect her and her children, Caroline and John, by providing them with housing on his island - along with full provision of the highest standard. She couldn't help but agree. Jackie got security and he got the most famous woman in the world. The wedding took place in November 1968. Maria Callas was sitting in her Paris apartment at that time. She learned that her beloved had married someone else on the radio.

From the very beginning, the marriage was a disaster. The scales fell from the billionaire's eyes. He saw that in fact his dearest wife was a cold and calculating woman. Almost immediately after the wedding, he began to return Maria. At first she was adamant, but after the entrepreneur threatened her to commit suicide if she did not relent, she changed her mind. Aristotle went to Paris every week, and meanwhile Jackie spent his money. Designer outfits, jewelry, furs, rare paintings - in the first year of their marriage, Jackie O, as the Americans now called her, lost about twenty million dollars. From such extravagance, even one of the richest people on the planet clutched his heart.

His only consolation was Callas, who was always waiting for him in her Parisian apartment.

He complained to her that Jackie treated him like a bag of money, and she was of no use: the ex-first lady could not influence President Nixon regarding the promotion of his shipping business.

Soon Onassis realized that this marriage was the main mistake of his entire life. She turned her own children away from him, who hated Jackie. And she herself stopped obeying him, beginning to behave not with the expected gratitude, but with defiance. She had nothing to lose. She was still protected by her image as a sufferer, although many Americans fell out of love with her as soon as she married the thief in law. And if Aristotle could calmly call Mary “waxwing” in public, then with Jacqueline he did not allow himself to do this - he did not dare. Meanwhile, Mrs. Kennedy Onassis returned to America.

She, of course, knew that Aristotle was spending time with Mary. When the paparazzi photographed her husband in a restaurant in the company of Callas, Kennedy Onassis immediately flew to Paris and had dinner with her husband in the same establishment, which did not go unnoticed by either the journalists or poor Maria. When the singer found out about this, she attempted suicide.

Broken heart

In 1973, Aristotle's son Alexander died in a plane crash, and the billionaire almost lost his mind from grief. His health deteriorated greatly (at that time he was sixty-seven years old), life lost its meaning, and his strength began to leave him. The billionaire fell ill with myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune neuromuscular disease). Having learned about the unfavorable prognosis of doctors, Onassis hired a private detective who would follow Jackie in the States and be able to convict her of treason - it would be easier to get a divorce without leaving her a dime. However, he was unable to find out anything. Despite this, the entrepreneur, who was no longer leaving the Paris hospital, secretly ordered his lawyers to begin preparing divorce papers.

At first, Jacqueline stayed with him for a long time and forbade the nurses to let him into the Callas hospital. When the businessman’s condition seemed to have stabilized, she went to the United States. After this, Maria was able to enter the hospital through the service entrance and was next to her loved one when he fell into a coma.

On March 15, 1975, Aristotle Onassis died. According to the will, most of his property went to his daughter Christina, and the rest to the foundation of his late son. Maria did not get anything, however, like Jacqueline. The latter was categorically not happy with this. To avoid litigation, Christina agreed to pay her stepmother twenty-six million dollars on the condition that she cut off all contact with their family.

Callas did not come to the funeral of her beloved, a little later telling reporters: “And what do you think it would look like - two wives next to each other?” The billionaire’s permanent driver told the media that Mary was Aristotle’s only true love: “She was his real wife, although they were never married.” The opera diva mourned him for two years: she stopped appearing in public and communicating with journalists.

In 1977, at the age of fifty-four, Maria Callas died of a heart attack. As many later said - from a broken heart. All she dreamed of until her last days was to return again to those happy times when together with Onassis she sailed on his yacht “Christina”. Initially, Maria was buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, but later her ashes were scattered in Greece over the Aegean Sea.

Love story. Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas

Aristotle Onassis and Maria Callas: a story of passionate love and humiliation.

Billionaire Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipowner and cult personality, communicated exclusively with representatives of the elite of various countries and was a welcome guest at receptions and social events of any level. He was surrounded by the most beautiful women, whom he often used to achieve his business goals. But true love came to him only once - in 1959 he met Maria Callas, a young opera diva who was applauded by the whole world.

Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos (real name Callas) was born in the USA in a family of Greek migrants. She successfully married a wealthy Italian industrialist Giovanni Battisto Meneghini and was happily married. He was a great connoisseur of opera, and fell in love with Maria at first sight. He was a faithful husband, a generous producer, and a devoted manager. For her sake, he sold his business and devoted himself entirely to her interests.

Maria Callas and her husband Giovanni Battisto.

Aristotle Onassis saw Maria at a ball in Venice. After some time, he attended her concert, and then invited the opera diva and her husband to his yacht “Christina,” which at that time was considered a symbol of unprecedented luxury. At that time, Onassis was married, but for the first time in his life, passion turned out to be stronger than the voice of reason. Maria Callas, who at the beginning of her career was an obese huge woman, by the time of the meeting had just lost 30 kg and was in excellent physical shape.

In 18 months, Maria Callas loses 30 kg and, with a height of 175 cm, begins to weigh 60 kg and becomes incredibly beautiful and elegant.

The romance, which began on the yacht “Christina” on a cruise in the Mediterranean, came as a real shock to the public. Onassis and Callas forgot about all decency and reveled in their love in front of their legal spouses and guests.

Billionaire Aristotle Onassis and opera diva Maria Callas.

Meneghini was discouraged and simply could not find a place for himself. He was ready to forgive his wife for this holiday romance, but the couple did not even think about leaving. Onassis and Callas began to live together. But the ardent lover, having achieved what he wanted, turned into a despotic and rude partner who was in no hurry to register the marriage. Callas meekly endured insults in front of friends, betrayals, and even the fact that Onassis raised his hand against her. And this sacrifice of hers provoked even greater attacks of aggression from her lover.

Blinded by love, the opera diva left the stage and decided to devote herself to love, no matter what. She gave up her self-esteem, lost her voice, and retreated into herself. All she dreamed of was to experience the moments that she experienced with Onassis on the yacht “Christina”.

One of the most famous couples of the mid-20th century.

But in 1968, Maria received another blow - from the newspapers she learned that Aristotle Onassis had married the widow of US President Jacqueline Kennedy. She closed herself off and stopped leaving the apartment. A month later, Onassis rushed to Paris and begged his beloved for forgiveness, assuring that this marriage for him was just a PR stunt and an image deal that had nothing to do with feelings and relationships.

Wedding of Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy.

His new wife, former First Lady of the United States Jackie Kennedy, turned out to be a calculating, overly energetic and cold lady. There were legends about her extravagance: she traveled around the world and spent such sums on furs and jewelry that even a fantastically rich shipowner clutched his heart. Jackie bought designer items in stores, creations of famous couturiers - in hundreds, leaving them in the closet even unpacked. The style icon, as she was called, appeared in public in transparent dresses and miniskirts, and social events were more important and interesting for her than the suffering and illness of her aging husband.

Maria Callas and Aristotle Onassis.

When Onassis's only son Alexander died in a plane crash, the billionaire almost went crazy - life lost its meaning for him. The last years of his life he found peace only with the all-forgiving Mary. But when Callas became pregnant at 43, Onassis did not allow her to give birth, saying that he already had heirs. He died on March 15, 1975 in a Paris hospital, and Maria Callass was next to him. Jackie was in New York at that time, and when she learned about the death of her husband, she calmly ordered a collection of mourning dresses from Valentino.

Callas spent the last years of her life in Paris and practically never left her apartment, where she died in 1977. The body was cremated and buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery. After the urn with the ashes was stolen and returned, the ashes were scattered over the Aegean Sea.

He destroyed her marriage and ruined her life, and she still loved him. Maria Callas, an opera diva applauded by the whole world, gave up everything for the sake of the Greek multimillionaire Aristotle Onassis. And he... He married someone else.

The first meeting between Callas and Onassis took place in 1957 at a Venice ball, organized in honor of socialite and journalist Elsa Maxwell.

But, either this meeting was too superficial, or they did not see each other, but after the ball they happily forgot about each other and continued to live as they lived.

Maria was married to Italian industrialist Giovanni Meneghini, who was 30 years older than his wife and idolized her. Onassis was married to Tina Livanos, who bore him two children. But, two years later, they met again, and this meeting became fatal for both.

Onassis, having attended the Callas concert that she gave in London, invited her and her husband to his yacht. This time he got a good look at the Greek beauty with expressive, deep eyes.

She certainly had to become his. All the charm was used, and Maria could not resist. They no longer cared that their rightful soul mates were on the same yacht.

Not embarrassed by anyone, Callas and Onassis openly flirted, danced until midnight and retired to distant cabins.

Maria's husband cursed the day he accepted the millionaire's invitation. He hoped that as soon as the cruise was over, his wife would come to her senses and return to the bosom of the family. But instead, Maria packed her things and went to Paris, where Aristotle was waiting for her.

His wife Tina was no less offended than Meneghini and filed for divorce. The millionaire was free; nothing else stood in the way of his relationship with the singer. But their life together did not work out. Onassis's nasty and temperamental character was revealed in all its glory.

However, he has always been like this. He beat his wife and numerous mistresses, whom he continually suspected of cheating. He justified his behavior by saying that “he who hits well loves well.”

Maria Callas did not escape this cup. The ardent, caring and generous man she met on the yacht turned out to be a complete despot on the shore. As soon as they began to live together, Onassis showed his true colors.

Every day he became ruder, more impatient, more irritable. It cost him nothing to openly humiliate Maria in society. Regular quarrels ended in severe beatings.

Maria endured and forgave, and this angered Onassis even more. Either constant stress, or some kind of illness, took its toll, but in 1961, Maria suddenly lost her voice. And this happened during a performance at La Scala.

This finally finished her off, especially after Onassis’s words: “You are an empty place!” Callas closed herself off and left the stage. But she did not leave Onassis. And one day she became pregnant.

At that time she was already 43 years old, and this was supposed to be her first-born. But she got rid of him because her beloved was, to put it mildly, not happy about this news.

In 1968, the news that her lover had married Jacqueline Kennedy nearly drove Callas to suicide. But Maria managed to pull herself together and decided to start a new life - without Onassis. Only he intervened again.

A few weeks after the wedding, he fell at her feet and begged for forgiveness, assuring that marriage with the president’s widow was just a profitable deal. And Mary forgave him again.

Perhaps now he could marry her, because the thought of divorcing Jacqueline could not leave him - she spent too much of his money and could not appear at home for weeks.

But this time, fate dealt a cruel blow to him: his son died in a plane crash. The news greatly damaged Onassis’s health: he ended up in the hospital.

And again Maria Callas was next to him. Jacqueline visited him only once and did not appear again. Even the death of her husband in 1975 from myasthenia gravis, from which he had suffered for the last few years, hardly upset her.

And Maria, having buried her beloved, completely withdrew and, locking herself in her Parisian apartment, practically did not leave it. She outlived Onassis by two years.

The real cause of her death has not been established. It is believed that she died of cardiac arrest. According to other sources, she had a rare disease - dermatomyositis. Probably its exacerbation led to a heart attack.

This is how Aristotle Onassis subsequently explained to numerous friends and relatives the reason for his new sudden passion. A young and attractive billionaire who had made his fortune in whaling, he was already happily married to Tina Aivanos, a girl with a more than generous dowry. However, one evening turned his entire previously measured family life upside down. Then the famous opera diva Maria Callas appeared on Aristotle’s yacht, or Ari, as his relatives called him. She appeared, it must be said, together with her husband - both were invited to a reception with an influential Greek tycoon by a mutual friend, Elsa Maxwell. It is unlikely that on that day Elsa foresaw even approximate consequences of her action. Rather, she simply wanted to please both friends by showing Onassis a “Greek diamond in an Italian setting” and Callas a luxury yacht with a first-class welcome on board. The idea, I must say, was a success. Aristotle was fascinated by the singer from the first minutes. A small fan of opera, he, of course, heard the name Callas - like all educated people in Europe and America in the 50s of the twentieth century. But it was one thing to hear, and quite another to see a dark, bright and passionate compatriot with sharp and unforgettable facial features. It was Ari who was able to discern in the American Maria Callas the emigrant Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos.

A million red roses

Their romance developed so rapidly that she couldn’t even always keep up with it. After the fateful event on the yacht, where Onassis, according to Maria’s recollections, “drew bitter Greek wine from his palms,” followed a ball in a London hotel, organized by Aristotle in honor of Callas. At this ball, he literally showered her with roses: there were so many purple flowers that they filled the entire space in the hall. The 36-year-old opera diva, who has already seen many eccentric fans during her career, fell in love like a girl. She left her husband and filed for marriage, which, however, did not take place immediately due to strict Catholic traditions (Callas’s husband was Italian). To be fair, it must be said that Aristotle also got divorced. The lovers began to live in Paris, content, it seemed, only with each other. Onassis, of course, did not interfere with matters of the heart from leading an already prosperous country. But Maria Callas, for the sake of her beloved, actually gave up the most precious thing she had. She stopped singing.

"We are only good friends"

The first thunder struck when Callas became pregnant. By that time she was already 42, and doubts were overwhelming, so the support of a loving person was needed more than ever. But Aristotle suddenly snapped: “I already have two children, and I don’t need a third.” No amount of persuasion helped; Maria did not dare to disobey, which she later very much regretted. So an innocent baby was sacrificed to great love... And Onassis was carried on. Instead of offering Maria his hand and heart, as everyone around expected, he suddenly announces at a press conference that he and Callas are “only good friends.” The reason for this sudden transition from love to “friendship” is the charming and elegant Jacqueline, Jackie Kennedy, the widow of the American president. It was her finger that Ari eventually put the engagement ring on. And Maria was left alone, betrayed and insulted, just like her favorite opera heroine Medea. After Onassis' betrayal, she still tried to build a career and starred in a film. But... “without him, everything doesn’t matter,” Maria wrote in her diary. Onassis died in 1975. When this news reached Callas, she announced: “I have only death left.” Two years later, the great opera singer died in Paris - the city that gave her so much happiness and grief at the same time.

One of the richest people on earth, Greek multimillionaire Aristotle Onassis was born on January 15, 1906. He grew up independent, self-confident and courageous, and from an early age, Ari, as his loved ones called him, developed a great interest in people of the opposite sex. However, his greatest love was yet to come.

In the meantime, Aristotle was obsessed with a single idea - to achieve success in business and make a huge fortune. After coming of age, in search of a better life, he emigrated to Argentina and got a job as a telephone technician, but in his free time he was engaged in business. Thanks to numerous transactions, by the age of thirty-two, Onassis already had several hundred thousand dollars. He made a fortune trading oil, but did not want to stop there.

Along with the money, he also had rich mistresses. Aristotle loved them, gave all of himself, but in return demanded absolute fidelity. Nevertheless, Onassis chose ardent and passionate women as his girlfriends, who were unlikely to be satisfied with one lover. Sooner or later they cheated on him, and the hot-tempered Greek often beat them in indignation. “Whoever hits well loves well,” the temperamental Aristotle justified his behavior.

This fate did not spare his first wife, a young Greek woman from a noble family, Tina Livanos. “He is a real savage who has acquired the proper appearance,” the girl recalled about her husband. Nevertheless, Tina, madly in love with the passionate Onassis, forgave him everything. She gave birth to her husband two children - a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Christina.

Meanwhile, Onassis, having enjoyed the charm of his young wife, was in a hurry to find new mistresses. Often they were women from rich and influential circles, whose acquaintance with the prudent Aristotle brought not only pleasure, but also benefit. He was able to truly fall in love only in 1959 with the charming opera singer Maria Callas.

They first met two years earlier, at a magnificent Viennese ball, but did not attach much importance to the acquaintance - either they did not have time to see each other, or the meeting was too superficial. One way or another, neither Mary nor Aristotle remembered each other anymore.

Callas (real name Cecilia Sophia Anna Maria Kalogeropoulos) was happily married. Her husband, the wealthy Italian industrialist Giovanni Battisto Meneghini, fell in love with the singer at first sight and, despite the discontent of relatives who openly disliked his daughter-in-law, married her. At the same time, he exclaimed in his hearts to his relatives: “Take my factories! Without Maria I don’t need all this!”

The groom was almost 30 years older than the girl. He was caring, patient and madly in love with his young wife. It didn’t even bother him that Callas at that time weighed more than a hundred kilograms and her figure was simply ugly. They got married a year after they met, on April 21, 1949, and were happy with their marriage for many years. Until the fateful meeting between his wife and the Greek tycoon took place on board the luxury yacht Christina, the property of Aristotle Onassis. That day turned fate around and destroyed Mary’s happy marriage.

The couple were invited to the yacht after another Callas concert, which was attended by the Greek tycoon himself. The billionaire, amazed by the splendor of the singer, was delighted with her and decided to win the heart of the black-haired beauty at all costs. Then Maria already weighed 55 kilograms, during ten years of marriage she was transformed beyond recognition and was really pretty. What was especially attractive about her face were her deep, expressive eyes.

Aristotle made an equally strong impression on Callas. “When I met Aristo, who was so full of life,” the opera singer recalled, “I became a different woman.” He was rich, omnipotent and generous, besides, he knew a lot about women and knew how to charm anyone.

A few months after their meeting, Onassis organized a reception in honor of Maria in one of the expensive London hotels, the floor of which was strewn with bright scarlet roses. However, the main events took place on the beautiful yacht “Christina”, sailing in the Mediterranean Sea and striking with its splendor and luxury.

Battisto Menegini cursed himself for a long time for accepting the invitation of the treacherous Greek and going on a cruise. There, forgetting about decency, the owner of the yacht did not take his enthusiastic eyes off the Italian’s wife and, delighted with Maria’s charm, did not leave her one step.

In the evenings, Onassis invited Callas to dance, and they twirled to the sounds of enchanting music until midnight. When everyone went to their cabins, Maria and Aristotle suddenly disappeared and did not appear in their bedrooms until the morning, hiding in the back rooms, which were prepared by a calculating seducer especially for such cases.

Confused Menegini could not find a place for himself. Much later, he recalled that he felt like an absolute fool and still hoped that his wife’s fleeting hobby would end as soon as the yacht touched the shore.

A few days later, "Christina" stopped off the coast of Greece. The Greek patriarch entered the ship to bless his famous fellow countrymen. That day, in front of everyone, Onassis and Callas knelt before him, kissing the hands of the clergyman. This whole scene resembled a wedding ceremony, and the confused Battisto and Tina lowered their eyes in shame.

When the journey finally ended, Maria’s husband still hoped to establish relations with her, but she resolutely announced that she was leaving him and going to Aristotle. Callas packed her things and headed to Paris to be near her lover. The offended Tina, not wanting to listen to her husband’s excuses, filed for divorce. Onassis became free.

From that day on, the lovers could live together. However, life together did not go well. Aristotle every day turned into an impatient, rude and irritable roommate. He insulted Maria, often humiliated her in front of her friends, quarreled with her and often beat her. The more Callas endured, the more often the hot-tempered Greek allowed himself inappropriate antics.

And the opera diva, having completely devoted her life to her lover, practically did not give concerts, and only once, when she performed in 1961 at La Scala, her voice suddenly disappeared. After such a terrible failure for the famous singer, who had been applauded by thousands of enthusiastic spectators for many years, Maria Callas withdrew into herself. Instead of words of support from her beloved, she heard: “You are an empty place.”

Sometimes the relationship between Onassis and Callas became warmer. He again admired the talents and beauty of his mistress, but she still dreamed that the day would come when she would become the wife of her “beloved Aristo.” Maria hoped that the marriage with her ex-husband, sanctified by the Catholic Church, would finally be dissolved and she could become Onassis’s legal wife.

In 1964, a couple in love spent the summer on the island of Scorpio, which the all-powerful tycoon promised to give to his beloved as soon as they got married. And two years later, Mary informed Aristotle that she was expecting a child. Contrary to her expectations, he took the unexpected news very violently. Onassis screamed, got angry and finally categorically forbade Callas to give birth. She, afraid of losing Aristotle, did not dare to resist his will, which she later greatly regretted.

In October 1968, Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis got married. However, his wife was not Maria Callas, but the widow of the shot President of the United States, Jacqueline Kennedy. A few years before the wedding, he invited her to spend a few weeks on his yacht so that she could recover from a terrible tragedy and the loss of her husband. Jackie quickly recovered from her grief, becoming the mistress of a wealthy Greek tycoon, but nothing was known about their relationship for a long time.

I didn’t know about Onassis’s betrayal and Maria Callas. She learned about her lover’s betrayal from newspapers, which reported that he had married the widow of the American president. The marriage took place on the island of Scorpio, the same one that Aristotle once promised to give to Mary.

The news shocked the singer so much that she seriously thought about suicide. “First I lost weight, then I lost my voice, and now I lost Onassis,” she bitterly admitted in an interview. However, having gathered her last strength, Callas decided to start a new life. However, she did not have to stay without her lover for very long.

A few weeks later, disappointed in his rash act, Onassis flew to Paris and begged his former mistress to forgive him. He even assured her that the marriage to Mrs. Kennedy was just a profitable deal and that he supposedly had no physical intimacy with her. Maria did not believe it, although she forgave her unfaithful lover. He again spent all his time with her, appeared in society and did not want to hide the fact that he maintained the warmest relationship with the beautiful Greek woman.

The marriage of an aging billionaire actually turned out to be extremely unprofitable for him, and the energetic and insatiable Jacqueline was a real burden. She flew from Europe to America several times a month, spent huge sums on entertainment, trips to expensive stores, where she bought furs, jewelry and luxurious dresses.

It is noteworthy that the purchased outfits remained hanging in the closet, and brave Jackie appeared in public either in tight jeans, or in a short skirt, or in a too open, transparent blouse. She allowed herself to forget about her elderly husband for several months.

All this, as well as the fact that Onassis had to spend huge sums on his unloved wife, did not suit the rich Greek. He was seriously thinking about divorce and, perhaps, would have carried out his idea if one day his beloved son Alexander had not died in a plane crash. From that day on, everything ceased to exist for Aristotle and lost its former meaning. Now he was just living out his life, and found rare joy in communicating with his beloved Maria. She was the only one who could understand him and forgive him for everything.

When Onassis unexpectedly fell ill, doctors recommended that he be admitted to a hospital, where the famous billionaire underwent stomach surgery. Jacqueline flew from America only once and, making sure that her husband’s condition did not cause any particular concern, she again went to New York. On March 15, 1975, she was informed that her husband had died. They said that in his last minutes he remembered only Mary.

Her heart stopped in 1977. Whether she died of her own death or was killed is still not completely known. What remained strange about her death was the fact that, having earned a huge fortune, she did not leave a will. When the famous Greek woman was escorted on her last journey, the funeral procession was decorated with the most unusual flowers. This desire was expressed before his own death by the one whom the great opera singer Maria Callas loved until the end of her days, despite the pain, insults and so easily destroyed life caused to her.