Mario Oliver, one of the kings of the Los Angeles nightlife scene when he ran the clubs Vertigo and The Gate and elegant restaurants like Tryst, Le Petit Four, and Linq, has died at age 71
On Wednesday, authorities found his body inside a villa in Las Terrenas, Samaná in the Dominican Republic. Initial reports indicate he was choked to death and gagged when criminals broke into his home and took a safe-deposit box, several watches Rolex, and other valuables.indicates the National Police, the DICRIM, certified that the death was brought on by head trauma and manual compression of the neck .
Oliver became a driver of the Los Angeles nightlife scene in the 1980s through the early 2000s. He was linked romantically withA 1987 Los Angeles Times article by Deadline founder Nikke Finke described him as possessing “continental charm, gracious manner and boyish sexuality. Oliver has cultivated an image of drinking champagne instead of wine, flying first-class instead of coach and having the prettiest woman in the room on his arm.
Vertigo was living proof of that style. It became one of the hottest clubs in the country. Its restrictive door policy attracted celebrities, with civilians lined up outside the club each weekend, hoping for a chance to step through the velvet ropes. However, there was a dark side to the story. Oliver suffered two divorces and a suspended probation period for a reduced rape charge of sexual battery of a 19-year-old girl.
Oliver’s body was taken to the Institute of Forensic Science in San Francisco de Macoris. The police investigation by Dominican authorities continues.