Dior communications chief, filmmaker husband killed in car crash; Blackpink's Jisoo mourns

Mathilde Favier, communications director of French luxury brand Dior, and her husband, film producer Nicolas Altmayer, died in a traffic accident.

AFP cited the prosecutor's office in Niort, western France, reporting that the couple died Tuesday afternoon in a crash in the jurisdiction.

According to prosecutors, the vehicle carrying Favier and Altmayer collided with an oncoming truck while attempting to overtake another car.

Altmayer was a French film producer known for the cult comedy "Brice de Nice" and the political thriller "The Conquest," which chronicled former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's rise to power.

French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard paid tribute to Altmayer as "a producer of sharp vision, capable of harmonizing popular comedy and auteur ambition with equal precision."

She added that Favier had "embodied French greatness in another form — that of fashion and luxury."

Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH, which owns Dior, also paid tribute through the brand's Instagram account, remembering Favier as someone who had "devoted her passion, energy and talent to Dior for so many years."

Jisoo of Blackpink, a global ambassador for Dior, wrote on her Instagram account: "From the very first day of my journey with Dior, you welcomed me with such warmth and kindness. Because of you, Paris felt like another home. I will cherish every precious memory we shared."