Dodi Fayed , remembered worldwide for his brief romance with Princess Diana , has been described by those who knew him as a man consumed not by women or Hollywood glamour but by cocaine, as fans of the tragic royal prepare for the 28th anniversary of her and the playboy's deaths, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

The Egyptian film producer, who died alongside Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 , is portrayed in the latest season of Netflix's The Crown as the shy playboy who pursued the Princess of Wales at the urging of his billionaire father, Mohamed Al Fayed . Article continues below advertisement

The Truth Behind Dodi

But friends say the series misses the central truth of his life – his rampant drug use.

Hollywood talent manager Paul Cohen, who befriended Dodi in the 1980s,

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