The creative force behind Apple TV+ thriller Tehran has died while working on location on the Emmy-winning show’s upcoming season. Dana Eden, 52, was found dead Sunday in her Athens hotel room by her brother, Greek police said. She had arrived in Greece on Feb. 4 to oversee production on the espionage drama’s fourth season, per the New York Times. Authorities said evidence at the scene did not suggest foul play; her brother told police she had been on medication and previously hospitalized. Police have attributed her death to suicide, per the Guardian and AP, after Israeli media reports initially indicated authorities were exploring an Iran-related angle. Eden’s production company, Donna and Shula Productions, had rejected those reports as baseless.
Eden was a prominent producer in Israeli television, but Tehran brought her global recognition. The show follows an Iranian-born, Israeli-trained spy who is sent on an undercover mission to attack Iran’s nuclear program. Accepting the International Emmy for best drama in 2021, Eden described the show as not just a spy story but an exploration of the “human behind your enemy.” Israelis and Iranians worked together on the show, showing “we can walk together … as friends and not as enemies,” Eden said. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, which originally developed Tehran, said it was mourning the loss of a longtime collaborator, while Apple TV+ praised Eden’s “vision, dedication and leadership” in shaping the series. (If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.)