One of the original supermodels from the 1980s, Tatjana Patitz, has tragically passed away.
The German model’s death was confirmed to DailyMail.com by her rep, though the time and cause of her death is still currently unknown. She was only 56 years old.
The Hamburg native was a huge influence of the 80s and 90s, starring alongside her fellow supermodels Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Cindy Crawford on the 1990 issue of British Vogue. The cover became one of the most iconic and well-recognized fashion shoots of all time, with Tatjana going on a month later to cover American Vogue on her own.
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Probably one of her most well-known pieces of work is when she starred alongside those same supermodels in George Michael‘s music video for Freedom! in 1990 as well. Relive the magical moment (below):
It was an especially big deal for her. In 2016 she revealed to The New York Times George was one of her “first teenage crushes” — and although she didn’t get to meet him face-to-face during her one day video shoot, working on something with the singer was no less than a dream come true. She said of filming the video at the time:
“I was in my own zone. I had to kind of slide up and down the wall for part of the day. The feel of the set was so run-down, this big, loft kind of vibe. There was another setup with me laying on a chaise lounge with a black smoking jacket. I think I may have had a bustier on. And I was smoking, even. People still smoked in videos then and even in films.”
Tatjana had graced the cover of Vogue SIX times before the group photo. In her 30-year career, she worked on many timeless campaigns with Chanel, Calvin Klein, and Versace. She was also known for her work with iconic fashion photographer Herb Ritts.
The model leaves behind one son, 19-year-old Jonah Patitz, whom she described as her “source of happiness” in 2020. Her iconic, decades-long career will definitely go down in history and she will be remembered by her millions of fans as “the European symbol of chic” as journalist and Chief Content Officer of American Vogue Anna Wintour once said.
Our hearts go out to Tatjana’s family, friends, and loved ones. May she rest in peace.
[Image via WENN.com/YouTube/George Michael]
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