Stella Tennant, British Supermodel, Dead Days After 50th Birthday

Stella Tennant, a British supermodel who became popular in the 1990s, died just days after her 50th birthday, according to Entertainment Tonight. The news was confirmed by her family via the PA News agency. The cause of death has not been announced.

“It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant on 22nd December 2020,” Tennant’s family said in a statement. “Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed.” Tennant’s career in modeling began when she caught the eye of fashion writer Plum Sykes, according to VOUGE. She appeared in the December 1993 issue of VOGUE magazine, which led to her being a favorite for some of the most influential fashion photographers in the 1990s. Tennant was also a regular on the runway, appearing for Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Versace.

In an interview with The Guardian last year, Tennant revealed why she doesn’t buy too many new clothes. “At my age I think it’s probably quite normal you’re not that interested in consuming, [and not] loving shopping as much as when you’re much younger,” she said. Tennant made an appearance at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She was part of the closing ceremonies and wore a Christopher Kane Swarovski-crystal catsuit according to CBS News.

“RIP Stella Tennant,” ELLE Magazine editor Nina Garcia wrote on Twitter. “The muse, the mother, the fashion icon but also the activist. She mixed fragility and an innate elegance with an androgynous look that inspired designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Pier Paolo Piccioli or Sarah Burton.”

Tennant married David Lasnet in 1999. Together the couple had four children – Marcel, Cecily, Jasmine and Iris. She last walked the runway at Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in January.