Cover girl Tatjana Patitz – who was one of the top supermodels of the 1980s and 1990s – has died at the age of 56, DailyMail.com can confirm.
The star’s agent at the Model CoOp in New York City confirmed the sad news to DailyMail.com on Wednesday morning, saying Tatjana had recently passed. No cause of death has been shared yet. Vogue magazine was first to break the news.
The Hamburg-born beauty was best known for her work with Vogue as well as her starring role in the George Michael music video Freedom from 1990 with pals Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington.
Her last Instagram post was in August 2022 showing an image of her dog.
Sad loss for fashion: Cover girl Tatjana Patitz – who was one of the top supermodels of the 1980s and 1990s – has died at the age of 56, DailyMail.com can confirm. The star’s agent at the Model CoOp in New York City confirmed the sad news to DailyMail.com on Wednesday morning, saying Tatjana had recently passed. Vogue magazine was first to break the news
A stunner: The siren was often on the cover of Vogue. The 5ft11in star was beloved by the photographer Herb Ritts
‘Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti,’ remembered Anna Wintour, chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue.
‘She was far less visible than her peers—more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable—and that had its own appeal.’
Creative director of Vogue Grace Coddington regarded Patitz as one of the original supermodels. she wrote in her 2012 memoir.
Patitz was born in Hamburg to an Estonian mother and German father. The family then moved to Skanör in Sweden.
Sing it: The Hamburg-born beauty was best known for her work with Vogue as well as her starring role in the George Michael music video Freedom from 1990 with pals Cindy Crawford , Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington
Now and then: Seen on the left for Chanel in 2017 and on the right in 1991 for Christian Dior
At the age of 17 in 1983 she entered an Elite Model Contest in Stockholm. She placed third in Sweden. The prize was a trip to Paris and a limited-time contract.
The siren went on to model for Versace and Chanel, often appearing in print ads and on runways. She was also on many magazine covers for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire.
After she starred in Freedom with Cindy, Christa and Linda, the girls were dubbed the ‘supermodels of the 1990s’ and often worked together thereafter.
Background: She was born in Hamburg to an Estonian mother and German father. The family then moved to Skanör in Sweden. At the age of 17 in 1983 she entered an Elite Model Contest in Stockholm. She placed third in Sweden. The prize was a trip to Paris and a limited-time contract. Seen left in 1991 in Paris for Chanel and right in 1992 for Chanel
Pretty woman: The siren went on to model for Versace and Chanel, often appearing in print ads and on runways. She was also on many magazine covers for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire. Seen in the 90s
She brought the drama: Here she is seen in yet another Vogue cover; she lived in the US and spent time in Montana
Tatjana had also starred in the film for Duran Duran’s song Skin Trade, and even tried her hand at making movies, featuring as a murder victim in 1993 Sean Connery flick Rising Sun.
In 2000, she appeared in the Korn music video for the song Make Me Bad.
She also worked for 30 years with acclaimed photographer Peter Lindbergh. In his book, 10 Women, Lindbergh wrote, ‘I admire Tatjana because she always stays herself. She’s very soft, but at the same time she’s very strong and knows how to stand up for what she thinks, and it’s always very enriching to be with her. It’s impossible not to admire her and over the years not to be just a little bit in love with her.’
The star worked up until recent years: In 2019 she stormed Milan when she walked the runway for Etro.
Patitz was an avid equestrian who learned to ride horses at age seven. She said, ‘I have been riding since I was a small child. For me, it means freedom, connectedness, and dedication. Horses transform stress and worry for me. They are genuine and spiritual. They make me happy and relaxed, especially if I feel pressured or tense.’
The beauty used to date Heidi Klum’s ex Seal former Bond star Pierce Brosnan and before that Nick Kamen.
She is survived by her son Jonah Johnson. The star was wed to Jonah’s father Jason Johnson from 2003 until 2009.
Another famous friend: Seen with Bo Derek at the Raffaello Summer Day 2014 at Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany
With some pretty pals: Seen with Toni Garrn, Nadja Auermann and Julia Stegner during the WMF world premiere at Haus der Kunst in April 2022 in Munich, Germany
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