Iconic '90s supermodel dies at age 56
<p>German supermodel Tatjana Patitz, who appeared in George Michael’s <em>Freedom 90 </em>video, has died at 56 years of age.</p>
<p>A family representative confirmed that her cause of death was breast cancer.</p>
<p>Patitz started her career in 1983, after becoming a finalist in the <em>Elite Model Look</em> contest and is considered one of the "original supermodels".</p>
<p>She has been featured on the cover of <em>Vogue</em> six times.</p>
<p><em>Vogue </em>shared a <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/obituary-tatjana-patitz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tribute</a> to the supermodel, stating that she was "the quietest and perhaps the most intense of the original supermodels".</p>
<p>In the tribute, Anna Wintour, the global editorial director of <em>Vogue</em> said that “Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti".</p>
<p>"She was far less visible than her peers—more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable—and that had its own appeal," she added, describing Patitz's unique qualities.</p>
<p>At the height of her career Patitz, alongside other models like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington, starred in the <em>Freedom 90</em> video.</p>
<p>They were recruited after George Michael saw the <em>British Vogue’s</em> January 1990 supermodels cover.</p>
<p>Peter Lindbergh, labelled as "the fairy godfather of Patitz’s career," was the photographer who captured Patitz's natural beauty in the 1988 photograph <em>White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu</em>.</p>
<p>The Peter Lindbergh Foundation posted a tribute to the supermodel in a Tweet.</p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tatjana Patitz, a long-time friend of Peter’s. <br />We would like to salute Tatjana’s kindness, inner beauty and outstanding intelligence. <br />Our thoughts go to her loved ones and particularly Jonah. She will be immensely missed. <a href="https://t.co/VGjAhLyC2C">https://t.co/VGjAhLyC2C</a></p>
<p>— Peter Lindbergh Foundation (@peterlindbergh) <a href="https://twitter.com/peterlindbergh/status/1613208506697486338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>The tribute read: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tatjana Patitz, a long-time friend of Peter’s. We would like to salute Tatjana’s kindness, inner beauty and outstanding intelligence.</p>
<p>Our thoughts go to her loved ones and particularly Jonah. She will be immensely missed."</p>
<p>Tatjana Patitz is survived by her son, Jonah, who has followed in his mother’s footsteps and is now a model.</p>
<p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>
