Italian Hermit Who Lived Alone on Idyllic Island for 32 Years, Dies 3 Years After Return to World

Mauro Morandi — who returned to society in 2021 — died at age 85 on Jan. 3, according to reports

Mauro Morandi, the man who lived by himself for over three decades on the Italian island of Budelli, has reportedly died three years after returning to society. 

The former sole caretaker of the island, 85, passed away in his hometown of Modena, Italy, where he previously worked as a physical education teacher, on Friday, Jan. 3, CNN, The Guardian and Italian outlet Giornale della Vela reported. 

Morandi died after battling health problems including vertebrae injuries sustained in a fall last summer for which he was hospitalized, according to the outlets.  He was later placed in a nursing home in Sardinia, Italy, before moving back to Modena.

Morandi shared in one of his last posts on Facebook that he had been hospitalized in an RSA in the Reggio Emilia area, per Giornale della Vela.

Morandi, nicknamed the Italian Robinson Crusoe, grabbed headlines in 2021 when he moved back into society after taking up sole residence on the island of Budelli for more than three decades. He came across the small island in 1989 when his catamaran broke down while journeying to the South Pacific, The Guardian previously reported. 

Related: Italian Hermit Who Lived Alone on Idyllic Island Leaving After 32 Years

The 85-year-old's time on the island came to an end in a decision he made after getting threatened with eviction by local authorities since the island's private ownership went bankrupt in 2016. The land later became public after a battle of ownership between a potential buyer from New Zealand buyer and the Italian government.

"I have given up the fight,” Morandi told The Guardian in 2021. “After 32 years here, I feel very sad to leave. They told me they need to do work on my house and this time it seems to be for real."

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Morandi had been living all those years on the island in a former World War II shelter and received food by boat from the nearby town of La Maddalena. He also constructed his own power system to be able to have a fridge, lights and the internet, per The Guardian. 

The state moved Morandi to La Maddalena where he stayed in a one-bedroom apartment. 

“I’m the living proof that a second, new life is possible. You can always start all over again, even if you’re over 80, because there are other things you can experience, a totally different world,” Morandi previously told CNN. “I’m happy and I have rediscovered the pleasure of living the good life and enjoying everyday comforts.”

Morandi’s friends plan to scatter his ashes at sea, according to reports.