Calling all suckers: A dog did not buy and is not selling Madonna’s former Miami mansion.
A slew of newspapers from the Orlando Sentinel, the Associated Press and Newsweek to Forbes and NPR are reporting an inane story about a “millionaire dog” named Gunther sleeping in Madonna’s former bedroom and putting her former villa at 3029 Brickell Ave. on the market for $31 million.
“He lives in Madonna’s former master bedroom,” the listing broker Ruthie Assouline reportedly said in an interview. “He literally sleeps overlooking the most magnificent view in an Italian custom bed in the former bedroom of the greatest pop star in the world.”
Great story. The only problem? It is emphatically not true.
“There is no dog sleeping in Madonna’s former bedroom,” said a person with direct knowledge of the deal. “This is a totally made up story. The broker is talking nonsense. There is no dog. There never was a dog. The owner thought it would be a fun way to score a reality TV show. That’s it,” the source said.
What is true: Assouline and her husband Ethan are listing the waterfront home for $31.75 million. But their client, the real owner, is not a dog. He’s a wealthy — albeit eccentric — 65-year-old Italian entrepreneur from Tuscany named Maurizio Mian.
And although the villa is on the market for $31.75 million, “It’s only worth it if you can afford to tear it down and start again,” opined a broker who has toured the unusual property.
When confronted by The Post with the lie Mian said, “It’s complicated.”
