Tatjana Patitz, Supermodel Who Starred In George Michael Video, Dead At 56

Fellow supermodel Helena Christensen hailed “beautiful angel” Patitz as "a divine spirit inside out."

Supermodel Tatjana Patitz has died at age 56.

Vogue magazine announced Patitz’s death on Wednesday. The cause was breast cancer, her agent Corinne Nicolas said.

“She is survived by her son, her sister, and her parents. We are all devastated by her passing,” Nicolas said in a statement to People magazine. She hailed Patitz as a “compassionate soul, kind and generous of heart and an avid advocate of animal rights.”

On Instagram, fellow model Helena Christensen paid tribute to her “beautiful angel” Patitz, calling her “a divine spirit inside out” and remembering her as “always graceful and calm with that those wonderful smiling eyes.”

Tatjana Patitz was one of an elite group of supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and 1990s.
Tatjana Patitz was one of an elite group of supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and 1990s.
via Associated Press

Patitz was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1966 and grew up in Sweden.

Her modeling career took off in 1988. She worked with Chanel, Donna Karan, and Vivienne Westwood, among other leading fashion brands.

Tatjana Patitz appeared in the music video for George Michael's “Freedom! '90."
Tatjana Patitz appeared in the music video for George Michael's “Freedom! '90."
via Associated Press

She was also an ambassador for the American Wild Horse Sanctuary.

In 1990, pop star George Michael cast her alongside fellow supermodels Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista in the music video for “Freedom! ’90.”

She has one son, Jonah, born in 2004.

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