‘Next Top Model’ Alum Dies After Emergency Brain Surgery: Lucy Markovic Was 27

Lucy Markovic, who rose to fame on Australia’s Next Top Model and went on to work for brands including Versace, Armani, and Victoria Beckham, has died.

Markovic’s partner Carlos confirmed the model’s passing in a message shared to Instagram Thursday night. She was 27.

“Dear friends and family, I regret to inform you that Lucy has passed,” the statement read. “She was at peace. Me, her mother and my mother were present with her. We ask you to please give us space in these hard times. May Lucy Rest in peace.”

Markovic had been suffering from a brain arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, for four years. The rare brain condition “is a tangle of blood vessels that creates irregular connections between arteries and veins in the brain,” per the Mayo Clinic. The model revealed last month that she would be undergoing surgery to treat an AVM “in the back of her brain” that was “the size of a golf ball,” according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

“Lucky + unlucky – Radiation, seizures, heavy medication and 4 years later,” Markovic wrote in the since-deleted post. “Excited, thankful, scared, supported, hopeful. Full flood of emotions in this time. Life’s a journey and I’m ready for the next chapter.”

Markovic was initially scheduled to undergo brain surgery on March 26, but the procedure was moved to April 2. ABC reported that a health update shared to her Instagram Story Thursday night revealed Markovic was “battling for her life” just days after the procedure.

Markovic was just 16 when she competed on Season 9 of Australia’s Next Top Model in 2015. She finished as the season’s runner-up behind winner Brittany Beattie. After her stint on the show, she went on to appear in campaigns for brands like Versace and Victoria Beckham, as well as high-profile magazines including Marie Claire and Vogue, and also walk runways for Oscar de la Renta, Bulgari, Givenchy, and Dolce & Gabbana, among others, per CNN.

Among those to pay tribute to her following her passing was Donatella Versace, who shared a photo of Markovic on the runway in Los Angeles alongside a caption that read, “I am so sorry to hear the news about [Lucy Markovic]. Rest in peace beautiful girl.”

Markovic’s agency, Elite Model Management, remembered her as “a bright shining light, and had an incredible dry sense of humor. Her smile and laughter could light up a room, and draw you closer to her. She loved to dance, she really shined.”