How did Tatjana Patitz die? Supermodel, 56, was a regular on covers of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue
SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA: Supermodel Tatjana Patitz who made her iconic appearance on leading fashion magazine covers died at the age of 56. In her four-decade-long career, the model rose to popularity in the ’80s and ’90s. She died in California and the cause of her death is metastatic breast cancer. On January 11, Vogue confirmed Patitz's death.
The fashion model who is famous for her work in Vogue and her on-screen feature in George Michael's 'Freedom' music video, was raised in Sweden by her Estonian mother and German father. “Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti. She was far less visible than her peers — more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable — and that had its own appeal,” wrote Anna Wintour, the chief content officer of Condé Nast and global editorial director of Vogue, remembering the famed cover girl.
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Patitzs' modelling career
The Vogue star who has made a space of her own in the fashion industry, began her career in modeling when she took up her interest in the field at the age of 17. In 1983, Patitz entered an Elite Model Contest in Stockholm and was placed third in Sweden. The prize received was a limited-time contract and a trip to Paris.
Patitz went on to model for global brands Versace and Chanel and has often made her appearance on runways and in print advertisements. She became a regular on the covers of magazines including Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, and Vogue.
After the supermodel was featured in 'Freedom' along with Linda, Cindy, and Christa, the group often worked together after its release and they were also dubbed as the 'supermodels of the 1990s'.
"I found some polaroids from 1988’s Vogue @voguemagazine shoot," Patitz wrote in an Instagram post she previously shared.
She worked with some of the most prolific photographers in the industry, including Peter Lindbergh, whose January 1990 British Vogue cover shoot of Patitz, Evangelista, Turlington, Crawford, and Naomi Campbell served as the “birth certificate” of the supermodel era.
According to Vogue, the most defining period of the supermodel era was made possible through British Vogue's January edition in 1990 which featured Patitz, Turlington, Naomi Campbell, and Crawford and was shot by prolific photographer Peter Lindbergh. Patitz has worked with Lindbergh for 30 years. "I admire Tatjana because she always stays herself. She's very soft, but at the same time she's very strong and knows how to stand up for what she thinks, and it's always very enriching to be with her. It's impossible not to admire her and over the years not to be just a little bit in love with her," Lindbergh wrote in his book '10 Women.'
The iconic model had also starred in the movie for Duran Duran's song 'Skin Trade'. Apart from modeling and on-screen appearances, she has tried her luck in movies and got featured as a murder victim in 'Rising Sun,' Sean Connery's 1993 film. She made her presence known until recent years. She walked the runway in 2019 for Etro and has also made her appearance in the 'Make Me Bad' song of the Korn music video.
Patitz used to date Nick Kamen and later dated Heidi Klum's ex Seal former Bond star Pierce Brosnan, according to Daily Mail. She was married to Jason Johnson from 2003 until 2009. The Vogue model is survived by her son Jonah Johnson, whom she shared with her ex-husband Johnson.