Original supermodel Tatjana Patitz dead at 56
- Along with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, Patitz appeared in the smouldering video to George Michael’s hit ‘Freedom!’
- Vogue magazine described her as always seeming separate from other supermodels, calling her ‘a force to be reckoned with’
Tatjana Patitz, one of the original supermodels who dominated fashion in the 1980s and 90s commanding huge payouts for photoshoots, died on Wednesday, her agent said. She was 56.
The Germany-born Patitz was among a handful of women of the era whose looks and style catapulted them to a global fame that transcended modelling.
Corinne Nicolas, founder of The Model CoOp, a Manhattan-based agency said Patitz died on Wednesday morning in California. Nicolas told media Patitz had been ill but gave no further details.
Along with Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, Patitz appeared in the smouldering video to George Michael’s 1990 hit “Freedom!”
That came after photographer Peter Lindbergh captured Turlington, Evangelista, Patitz and Estelle Lefebure, Karen Alexander and Rachel Williams in a picture titled “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu”.