Dana Eden, the acclaimed Israeli producer who co-created the Emmy-winning drama Tehran, has died suddenly in Greece at the age of 52. Israeli public broadcaster KAN announced her death on Monday, with a Greek police official confirming that she was found dead in a hotel in Athens.
Initial indications suggested that she had taken her own life, and there was no suspicion of foul play, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Eden had been in Greece to film the fourth season of the hit series.
In a statement, KAN described Eden as “among the leading figures in Israel’s television industry” and said her work “left a deep mark on the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation”. The broadcaster shared in the sorrow of her family, friends and colleagues, but did not give a cause of death.
Eden’s production company, Donna and Shula Productions, sought to dispel rumours that she had been killed. “The production company wishes to clarify that the rumours of a criminal or nationally motivated death are false and unfounded,” it said in a Facebook post, adding that her dignity and privacy should be respected during this painful time.
Israel’s Culture and Sports Minister, Miki Zohar, expressed his grief on social media, calling Eden “one of the most prominent and influential producers in the Israeli television industry”. She started her career in the 1990s, working on programmes including comedy Yom Haem and crime drama Magpie before achieving international success with Tehran, which premiered in 2020 and tells the story of a Mossad operative in Iran. The series won best drama at the 2021 International Emmy Awards.
