Israeli TV producer Dana Eden, co-creator of the hit series ‘Tehran’, has died in Greece with police indicating suicide as the likely cause.

ATHENS: Israeli television producer Dana Eden, the co-creator of the Emmy-winning spy thriller ‘Tehran’, has been found dead in a hotel room in the Greek capital.

Greek police told AFP on Monday that the 52-year-old’s body was discovered on Sunday night at a hotel near Syntagma Square.

A police spokesperson stated that an autopsy has been ordered and a review of surveillance footage indicates the death was a suicide.

Eden had arrived in Athens on February 4 for the production of the show’s fourth season, which is broadcast internationally on Apple TV.

Her company, Donna and Shula Productions, issued a statement calling it a moment of profound pain for her family, friends, and colleagues.

The firm explicitly dismissed rumours that her death resulted from a criminal act or was connected to her nationality as incorrect and unfounded.

“We ask that Dana’s dignity and the privacy of her loved ones be respected,” the statement concluded.

The first three seasons of ‘Tehran’, which follows a Mossad agent operating undercover in Iran, were also filmed in Athens as a stand-in for the Iranian capital.

Production on the fourth season was previously delayed following the Hamas attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza.

The series has become one of Israel’s most internationally successful productions, winning the Emmy Award for Best Drama Series in 2021.

In a 2023 podcast interview, Eden and co-producer Shula Spiegel revealed they had taken enormous personal and financial risks to launch the show.

Eden said she mortgaged her house to complete filming after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed their Greek government funding.

She described herself and Spiegel as “irresponsibly optimistic” people who took “insane risks”.

That gamble paid off when they secured a distribution deal with Apple TV, which she called unprecedented for an Israeli series at the time.

The show stars Niv Sultan and has featured renowned actors including Glenn Close and Hugh Laurie.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar paid tribute on social media, calling Eden one of the most prominent and influential producers in the country’s television industry.

 The Sun Malaysia