Tatjana Patitz, one of an elite group of famous supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 80s and 90s and George Michael’s music video “Freedom! ’90s”, she died at the age of 56.
Petitz’s death in the Santa Barbara, California area was confirmed by her New York agent Corinne Nichols of the Model Cop Agency. Nichols said the cause was illness, but had no further details.
Born in Germany, raised in Sweden and later living in California, Patitz was known as part of an elite of “original” supermodels that included Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Michael Campbell and Cindy. Crawford.
She was a favorite of fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, who highlighted her natural beauty in his famous 1988 photo “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu” and a 1990 cover of British Vogue – Michael played the part of the group in her video Inspired, lip-syncing. play. , according to Vogue.
The magazine quoted its global editorial director, Anna Wintour, as saying that Pitz “has always been a Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti European icon of chic. She was less visible than her peers—more mysterious, more mature, more elusive—and that had its own appeal.
In a 2006 interview, Petitz said the golden age of the supermodel was over.
He was quoted in Prestige Hong Kong as saying, “There was a real era and the reason it happened was because it brought glamour.” “Now celebrities have taken over and actresses and models have completely taken a back seat.”
She also said that models from her era had healthier bodies.
“Those women were healthy, not these little models who don’t know their names anymore,” Petitz said.