German TV personality Mano Machinek has died after a horrific sports car crash during a commercial shoot in Italy. He was just 37.
Machinek, who appeared on the Australian reality series Forsthause Rampensau with his partner Maria Maksimovic in 2022, was behind the wheel of a blue Porsche 993 RS near Italy’s picturesque Lake Maggiore on July 30 when the deadly accident occurred.
According to multiple reports, Machinek was driving the rented Porsche as part of a commercial production when he suddenly lost control.
The high-performance car veered off the roadway, plunged down a slope and slammed into a tree.
Machinek became trapped inside the mangled vehicle as emergency crews raced to the scene. Tragically, he died while rescuers were attempting to free him from the wreckage.
The sudden death has devastated those closest to Machinek, including longtime partner Maksimovic, who shared an emotional tribute on Instagram alongside footage from a bridal photoshoot the couple had worked on together.
She recalled how Machinek used to become emotional whenever he saw her wearing a wedding dress.
“There was a time when Mano cried every time he saw me in a wedding dress,” she wrote, explaining that even after years of working together on bridal campaigns, his reaction never disappeared.
Maksimovic said she eventually wondered whether the special feeling had faded after Machinek had seen her model so many gowns.
Then, during one three-day shoot involving roughly 70 dresses, something happened that answered her question.
She said that somewhere around the 50th or 60th dress, she walked out and Machinek began crying once again.
According to Maksimovic, he looked at her and told her, “I don’t know what’s happening to me… I just love you so much.”
The moment made her realize his emotional reaction had never really been about the wedding dresses.
“It was always about the way he loved me,” she wrote.
Machinek’s friend Ahmed “Scotland” Khader also posted a heartbreaking tribute, describing him as a close friend, a brother and one of the most passionate car enthusiasts he had ever known.
“It’s with great pain and heartache that I’m forced to say goodbye to yet another loved one,” Khader wrote.
He offered prayers for Machinek’s family and Maksimovic, saying he could only imagine the pain she was experiencing.
Khader also reflected on the dangerous side of their shared profession and passion for high-performance cars.
“This is our passion and our profession,” he wrote. “We take risks with our job driving these machines on the limit. It’s what makes us live life and love so fiercely.”
He accompanied the tribute with a video remembering his late friend.
Machinek’s death has stunned fans and friends alike, cutting short the life of a television personality and devoted car enthusiast whose loved ones say approached both his work and his relationships with extraordinary passion.