Supermodel Tatjana Patitz Cause of Death Revealed

Supermodel Tatjana Patitz died following a battle with breast cancer. Hours after Vogue announced Wednesday, Jan. 11 that Patitz, considered one of the original supermodels, died at 56, her agent Corinne Nicolas confirmed Patitz’s cause of death.

Nicolas confirmed Patitz’s cause of death in a statement to both PEOPLE and Entertainment Tonight, though further information, including when Patitz was diagnosed, was not disclosed. Nicolas remembered the iconic supermodel as a “compassionate soul, kind and generous of heart and an avid advocate of animal rights,” adding that “one of the major causes she supported was the conservation of wild horses.” Patitz’s agent added that “she is survived by her son, her sister, and her parents. We are all devastated by her passing.”

Born in Hamburg, Germany, and raised in Sweden. Patitz began her modeling career at 17 when she was a finalist in Elite Model Management’s 1983 contest. While she would go on to become one of the original “supermodels” alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, success was not immediate. Patitz’s fame did not take off until she began working with photographer Peter Lindbergh, after which she covered magazines alongside the other “original” supermodels. She appears on dozens of covers for Vogue and other fashion magazines throughout the ’80s,in 1988 even being included in Lindbergh’s famous photo, “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu,” alongside Estelle Lefebure, Karen Alexander, Rachel Williams, Evangelista, andTurlington.

After seeing Lindbergh’s photo of Patitz and other models for British Vogue‘s January 1990 cover, George Michael was inspired o cast her in his music video for “Freedom! ’90.” She also appeared in Duran Duran’s 1987 “Skin Trade” music video and modeled for Vivienne Westwood, Chanel, Donna Karan, and many other labels. She walked her final runway show at Milan Fashion Week in 2019 with Etro for the fashion house’s Autumn/Winter 2019/20 presentation.

Paying tribute to Patitz, Anna Wintour, Vogue‘s global editorial director, called Pattiz “the European symbol of chic,” adding that “she was far less visible than her peers — more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable — and that had its own appeal.” Patitz is survived by her son, Jonah. To celebrate the supermodel’s life, donations can be made in her honor to Return to Freedom, a national wild horse conservation organization.