Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty
Patrick Demarchelier, the famed fashion portrait photographer who once worked asPrincess Diana’spersonal shutterbug, died on Thursday at the age of 78.
Representatives for the French-born artist announced his death on Instagram with “great sadness.”
Demarchelier’s cause of death has not been revealed, though multiple outlets, includingWWD, report he was in St. Barths at the time of his passing.
His career first began in Paris, where he moved from Le Havre at the age of 20.
After working as an assistant photographer under prized lensmen likeVoguecontributor Hans Feurer and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Demarchelier honed his skills as a fashion photographer before moving to the United States in 1975 and opening his first U.S. studio.
It didn’t take long for him to find fame, his work appearing in major fashion magazines worldwide. Among his employers through the years wereHarper’s Bazaar, Vogue,Teen Vogue,Vanity FairandAllure. He also shot campaigns for brands like Chanel, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Target, Dior, Revlon, Lancôme, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Gap, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Yves Saint Laurent and more.
Celebrity subjects ran the gamut across the entertainment industry: Madonna, Mariah Carey,Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet,Leonardo DiCaprio, Tyra Banks, Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen, Britney Spears,Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Kaley Cuoco, Oprah, Beyoncé, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert DeNiro, Emma Stone, Michelle Williams, Paul Newman, Claudia Schiffer, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Anthony Hopkins, Annette Bening,Nicki Minaj, Amber Heard, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence, Sally Field, Susan Sarandon, Iman, Dove Cameron, Charlize Theron, Gena Rowlands, and RuPaul — to name a few!
“I am grateful to have been lucky enough to be in front of your lens,” rememberedBella Hadidon Thursday, in a touching Instagram post. “Most gentle, most legendary, soft but full of life. You will be missed Patrick. Rest In Peace.”
One of his most recognizable photographs? Janet Jackson’s infamous topless 1993Rolling Stonecover.
“I like the beauty of life, the beauty of people, animals, everything,” he toldWWDin 2007, describing himself as an “instinctual photographer” and explaining that “a good picture is a moment, you catch the moment.”
Harper’s Bazaar UK/ Patrick Demarchelier
Demarchelier’s success drove him from behind the camera into the spotlight from time to time. He was featured on the 2003 season ofAmerica’s Next Top Model, appeared in the 2009VoguedocumentaryThe September Issue,and even photographed Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw in the 2008Sex and the Cityfilm.
Numerous fashion honors followed Demarchelier throughout his career, including the CFDA Founder’s Award in Honor of Eleanor Lambert and the French Ministry of Culture’s prestigious officier dans l’ordre des arts et des lettres title (both in 2007). He also published a few books.
“People lie and they tell stories,” he told theGlobeat the time, denying the allegations and any wrongdoing. “It’s ridiculous.”
He never stopped shooting professionally, explaining once, “I will die working,“WWDreported.
source: people.com
