Tatjana Patitz, a famous ’90s supermodel, has died in Santa Barbara, California. She was 56 years old at the time.
Patitz’s peers included Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford, who were among the elite group of models who frequently covered magazines in the late ’80s and ’90s.
Patitz’s death was announced by Vogue and confirmed to the Associated Press by her Model CoOp agent in New York, Corinne Nicolas. She died of an illness, according to reports, though more details have yet to be released.
Patitz, along with the above-mentioned group of fashion models dubbed “The Original Supermodels,” appeared in George Michael’s music video for his hit “Freedom! ’90.”
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, paid homage to Patitz after her death, writing, “Always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti. She was far less visible than her peers — more mysterious, mature, and unattainable — and that had its own allure.”
At the age of 17, the German-born, Swedish-raised model entered her first modeling competition. Patitz rose to fame a few years later after capturing the lens of famed fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh.
Patitz and several other high-profile supermodels were photographed by Lindbergh for his 1988 campaign, “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu.” In 1990, the two worked together again for a British Vogue cover.
Patitz also collaborated frequently with fellow top fashion photographers Herb Ritts and Patrick Demarchelier.
Patitz was interviewed by Prestige Hong Kong magazine in 2006, where she discussed the modern modeling landscape and her belief that the golden age of modeling had passed.
“There was a real era, and it happened because glamour was introduced into it,” Patitz observed. “Now that celebrities and actresses have taken over, models are completely in the backseat.”
“Women were healthy, not these scrawny little models whose names no one remembers,” Patitz continued.
