Rogério Renato Mateucci, 55, was killed by wind-blown roofing debris during a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale last Friday.
The rector of Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná in Brazil had been visiting the famed desert landmark with a group around 2 p.m. When gusts reaching 32 mph tore loose a piece of roofing material, AZ Family reported. The debris struck Mateucci in the head, and he died at the scene in what officials classified as a weather-related accident.
Classes at the Brazilian university were canceled Saturday through Monday as the institution entered mourning for its most senior leader, a position Mateucci had held since 2022. The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná announced a memorial Mass would be held on Monday, with funeral arrangements to follow once his body was repatriated to Brazil.
In a press release, the university framed its grief through the lens of its Catholic mission.
“And, for those who believe, life is not taken from us, but transformed. Therefore, united by faith in the resurrection, let us now join in prayer for our dearest Brother Rogério,” the university concluded.
The academic had built a career in educational leadership, earning multiple degrees in the field including a doctorate from Fordham University in New York, according to Brazilian outlet G1.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which operates from the Scottsdale property, responded to the death with a statement of condolence posted to Facebook. The foundation also announced an immediate closure of the site to the public.
“The property is closed to the public until further notice,” the foundation wrote in its statement.
Mateucci’s death came during what should have been an educational visit to one of American architecture’s most celebrated landmarks. Taliesin West, Wright’s winter home and studio, has drawn architecture students and tourists for decades with its dramatic integration of desert landscape and built form.
The freak accident underscores the hazards that sudden weather can pose even at established cultural institutions. Scottsdale saw significant wind activity last Friday, with the 32 mph gusts proving strong enough to compromise structural elements of the historic property.
The Brazilian university community now faces the dual challenge of mourning a leader lost abroad while coordinating the complex logistics of returning his remains across international borders. The repatriation process, the university indicated, would determine when final funeral arrangements could proceed.