The Argentinian-born, Italian journalist spent five terms as the head of the organization behind the Golden Globes.
Lorenzo Soria, who served five terms as president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Friday, according to a family member. He was 68.
Soria had battled lung cancer.
The good-natured Soria headed the HFPA — the organization behind the annual Golden Globe Awards — in 2003-04, 2004-05, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2019-20. He joined the organization in 1989 and served on its board for years.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1951, Soria was 11 when his family moved to Milan following the death of his father. He edited and wrote for the Italian publications L’Espresso (starting in 1977) and La Stampa and had lived in Los Angeles since 1982. He was a Fulbright scholar.
Soria “covered politics, technology, society and other topics,” the HFPA said in a statement, “but what he loved most were his interviews with Hollywood talent and reporting about trends and changes in the film and television industry.”
On Instagram, Venice International Film Festival director Alberto Barbera called Soria “a beautiful person, kind, helpful, generous. Rare qualities, not really frequent especially in the environment to which it belonged. For this he had earned the respect and affection of all.”
Survivors include his wife, Lilla; son Max; sister Donatella; and mother Diana.
“He was deeply committed to the movie industry’s power to heal the world and shine a spotlight on injustice,” his family said. Details about a memorial “will follow in the coming days.”