MILAN - The family of Italian designer Gianni Versace has distanced itself from a long-awaited US television series about his violent death.

The nine-part series, made by 21st Century Fox and premiering next week, stars Spanish actress Penelope Cruz and Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin.

Versace was gunned down in 1997 at the entrance gate of his Miami beach mansion by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.

The Versace company "did not authorize and was not involved in the television series," it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Versace founded his eponymous fashion house, famous for its Medusa head logo, in 1978. Gianni's sister Donatella is artistic director and vice-president of the group. - Reuters