Who was Tatjana Patitz?
TATJANA Patitz rose to prominence for her countless magazine spreads and fashion campaigns.
She was featured several times in Vogue and worked for Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, and Versace.
Who was Tatjana Patitz?
Born on March 25, 1966, Tatjana Patitz was regarded as one of the original supermodels.
Tatjana is remembered as one of The Big Five with fellow runway stars Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington.
In 1983, she was discovered at Elite Model Management's Look of the Year contest.
The future star placed third in the competition and won a contract from the company.
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By 1985, she earned her first major magazine cover on the front of British Vogue.
In January 1990, Tatjana appeared on another cover for the above-mentioned publication that is often credited with sparking the decade's "supermodel" trend in the media.
She shared the cover with Naomi, Cindy, Linda, and Christy, aka The Big Five of modeling.
Tatjana told the outlet: "People always said that I looked special, that I didn’t look like anyone else, and I was going to make it because of that."
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Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour remembered: "Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic.
"She was far less visible than her peers. She was more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable, and that had its own appeal."
When was Tatjana in George Michael's Freedom video?
The Big Five's January 1990 cover of Vogue earned many fans including the late George Michael.
Later in October of the same year, the legendary singer asked Tatjana and the other four ladies to appear in the music video for his hit song Freedom! '90.
George did not appear in his own music video, Tatjana and the other ladies graced the screen instead.
He explained his reasoning for this to the Los Angeles Times: and said: "At some point in your career, the situation between yourself and the camera reverses.
"For a certain number of years, you court it and you need it but ultimately, it needs you more, and it's a bit like a relationship. The minute that happens, it turns you off."
Although it looked like the girls were all lip-synching together, they filmed a majority of their scenes separately.
Tatjana recalled to Allure: "I was alone, I didn't see any of the other girls."
What was Tatjana's cause of death?
On January 11, 2023, Tatjana's agent Corinne Nicholas revealed the late supermodel died from breast cancer at the age of 56.
"Tatiana passed away this morning in California, the cause of death was breast cancer," she told Insider.
She is survived by her son Jonah, her only child from her marriage to Jason Johnson.
In the wake of Tatjana's death, a number of her peers in the industry paid tribute to her.
On Instagram, Cindy Crawford shared: "So sad to hear of the passing of the beautiful @tatjanapatitz.
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"We were babies together in the fashion industry and I feel like we grew up together. We were in so many shoots together and backstage at shows.
"Her love of animals and nature was infectious. Sending my condolences to her family — especially the son she adored. RIP."