Tatjana Patitz, a Vogue model who appeared on dozens of style journal covers in her 40-year profession after skyrocketing to fame within the ’80s and ’90s, has died. She was 56.
While the reason for demise has not been revealed, Vogue confirmed that the mannequin died not too long ago.
The iconic supermodel was most recognized for her work in Vogue and in addition starred in George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” music video alongside fellow fashions Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista.
Patitz, who was raised in Sweden by her Estonian mom and German father, launched her modeling profession at 17 when she positioned third in a contest in Stockholm in 1983. The prize was a visit to Paris with a limited-time modeling contract — and the remainder is historical past.
“Tatjana was at all times the European image of stylish, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti,” wrote Anna Wintour, the chief content material officer of Condé Nast and international editorial director of Vogue, in remembrance of the duvet star.
“She was far much less seen than her friends — extra mysterious, extra grown-up, extra unattainable — and that had its personal enchantment,” Wintour continued.
The Post has reached out to Patitz’s company for remark.
Although Tatjana was with out work for a yr following her stint in Paris, she quickly turned a power within the modeling world, in response to Vogue. Coupled together with her background in appearing, her “particular” appears to be like took her a great distance.
“People at all times mentioned that I seemed particular; that I didn’t appear like anybody else,” she informed Vogue in a 1988 profile titled “Tatjana: Million Dollar Beauty.” “And I used to be going to make it due to that.”
She made quite a lot of on-screen appearances, together with music movies for Duran Duran and Korn in addition to movies and temporary tv visitor spots.
She labored with a number of the most prolific photographers within the business, together with Peter Lindbergh whose January 1990 British Vogue cowl shoot of Patitz, Evangelista, Turlington, Crawford and Naomi Campbell served as the “birth certificate” of the supermodel era.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tatjana Patitz, a long-time good friend of Peter’s,” the Peter Lindbergh Foundation tweeted Wednesday. “We want to salute Tatjana’s kindness, interior magnificence and excellent intelligence. Our ideas go to her family members and notably [her son] Jonah. She shall be immensely missed.”
Described by the style journal as “the quietest and maybe probably the most intense of the unique supermodels,” Patitz didn’t flock to Paris or New York like the opposite aspiring fashions. Instead, she discovered solace within the nature of California, and vowed to by no means promote her soul to the enterprise.
“There have been glamorous moments, however it was exhausting,” she informed the Guardian in a 2009 interview. “The low factors have been having to journey a lot and being exhausted. I at all times thought that [fashion and modeling] wasn’t who I used to be; it was what I did. It didn’t outline me. Living out right here and coming again to this place was like a sigh of reduction in a way.”
She is survived by her 19-year-old son Jonah, who she described as her “supply of happiness,” per Vogue.
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