Venus Williams' boyfriend Andrea Preti shares emotional message after Pope Francis' death

Venus Williams' boyfriend, Andrea Preti, shared heartfelt condolences on the sad demise of Pope Francis. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis on Monday, April 21.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, served as the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Jesuit pope from the Americas and the first non-European pope since the 8th century. Pope Francis was elected in 2013 after Pope Benedict XVI's resignation and earned admiration for his humility.

"Dear brothers and sisters, it is with profound sadness I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis. At 7:35 (5:35 GMT) this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father...His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church," Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced on Monday (via Vatican News).

The Pope also earned the moniker of "the Pope of the slums" because of his unwavering dedication and zeal for the poor. He reportedly had a history of acute respiratory failure, caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, and type II diabetes.

Moreover, the cause of death was a stroke, followed by a coma. Andrea Preti, the boyfriend of tennis icon Venus Williams, later shared his reaction on his Instagram story.

"Thanks for everything franseco. May you rest in peace," ( translated from Italian to English)

Andrea Preti's Instagram story; ( Source - Instagram @andreapreti88)

Preti is an actor-producer who was born in Denmark and later moved to Italy during childhood.

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Andrea Preti and girlfriend Venus Williams recently gush over each other teasing a mystery 'fairytale day'

Preti frequently shares glimpses of his life on social media and recently shared a picture of himself, exuding grace in a leopard-printed shirt.

"Happy Day," he captioned.

Seven-time Major champion Venus Williams later shared her reaction in the comments, writing:

"A fairytale day"

Preti later responded "la nostra," which means "ours." However, it wasn't clear what the couple talked about.

The Italian initially pursued a career in fashion before moving to New York to study acting at the Susan Batson Academy. Preti’s notable projects include the 2014 film One More Day, the television series A Professor, and the Italian reality show La Talpa.

Meanwhile, Venus Williams gained immense success on the tennis front after turning professional in 1994. She won 49 WTA singles titles, including seven Grand Slams. The 44-year-old hasn't played a match so far in 2025. Although she was slated to participate in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells as a wildcard, she later disclosed that she was unaware of the development.