Supermodel Tatjana Patitz has died aged 56 after battling breast cancer. The model and actress made her mark in the as one of the ‘big five’ supermodels captured in Peter Lindbergh’s iconic image that graced the cover of Vogue magazine in January 1990.
Patitz, alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, would go on to appear in George Michael’s groundbreaking video for his song Freedom ’90. Rather than appearing in the video George Michael asked the five supermodels to lip sync to his tune.
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During her modeling career Patitz graced the cover of over 200 magazines and was also sought after by designers to walk the runway showcasing their latest collections. While working in editorial and advertising campaigns, she also featured in fine art works by Peter Lindberg and Herb Ritts.
The German model was a favourite of Grace Coddington, the Creative Director of Vogue and the magazine’s Editor in Chief Anna Wintour.
Patitz was discovered by the Elite Modeling Agency in 1983 when she entered one of their competitions. She was born in Germany but grew up in Sweden. Soon after signing with the agency she was working in Paris and by the end of her first year in the fashion industry was on the cover of the British edition of Vogue. She was photographed by Lindberg that year and it as the beginning of a creative relationship that spanned 30 years.
Alongside her appearance in George Michael’s iconic video, she also appeared in a memorable campaign for advocacy group PETA. The ‘I’d rather go naked than wear fur’ advertisements featured Patitz, Naomi Campbell, Emma Wiklund, Heather Stewart-Whyte, and Fabienne Terwinghe.
In 1993 the model turned to acting appearing in the film Rising Son that starred Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. She also appeared in television series including The Single Guy and The Larry Sanders Show. She also appeared in music videos for Duran Duran, Korn, and Nick Kamen.
While other models lived a party life in London, New York and Paris, Patitz lived a quiet life on a ranch in California. She is survived by her 19-year-old son Jonah.
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