Tatjana Patitz, a German supermodel best known for her iconic Vogue cover shots, died at the age of 56 following a battle with metastatic breast cancer. On January 11, 2023, Vogue verified the story. The supermodel came to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and had a four-decade career. She has been featured in advertisements for major fashion companies such as Chanel, Calvin Klein, and Versace.
Anna Wintour, Conde Nast’s chief content officer, and Vogue’s global editorial director, sent a sincere message:
“Tatjana was always the European equivalent of Romy Schneider and Monica Vitti. She was less visible than her friends, more enigmatic, more mature, and more unreachable, and this had its own allure.”
According to Reuters, the model recently walked the runway for Etro at Milan Fashion Week in February 2019.
“Most effortlessly proficient supermodel,” say netizens of supermodel Tatjana Patitz.
As word of Tatjana Patitz’s death spread, online people conveyed their sorrow and condolences to the supermodel’s family. They described her as a one-of-a-kind persona and a role model for others. Some described her as an ethereal beauty.
💔 beautiful angel . #TatjanaPatitz pic.twitter.com/YdfdOcZ5iE
— @lalaross (@lalala_ross) January 11, 2023
💔 beautiful angel . #TatjanaPatitz pic.twitter.com/YdfdOcZ5iE
— @lalaross (@lalala_ross) January 11, 2023
RIP icon #TatjanaPatitz pic.twitter.com/TqqsQY6lap
— They have no sense of beauty / of the aesthetic (@cescomonroe) January 11, 2023
One user, @jacobjakemo, reflected on his adolescence, writing:
“Tatjana Patitz’s death is heartbreaking. I’m quite sure I had a photo of her on my bedroom wall when I was a teenager.”
Who was Tatjana Patitz?
Tatjana Patitz was born in 1966 to an Estonian mother and a German father in Hamburg, Germany. She relocated to Sweden at the age of 17 after finishing third in a modeling competition. However, it would be years before she rose to prominence. For over 30 years, she has collaborated with some of the most productive photographers of the period, such as minimalist Peter Lindbergh. Lindbergh said in his book, 10 Women, that Patitz was always faithful to herself:
“She’s really gentle, but at the same time she’s extremely powerful and understands how to stand up for what she believes, and it’s always incredibly edifying to be with her. It’s difficult not to adore her and, over time, fall a little bit in love with her.”
Tatjana Patitz also appears in the music video for Freedom! Patitz appeared in George Michael’s Freedom! and Duran Duran’s music videos. In 1990, she appeared on the cover of British Vogue with Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington. The shot was regarded as historic, and the models were nicknamed the “first five supermodels.” Jonah Patitz, Tatjana Patitz’s 19-year-old son, survives her.
