British supermodel Stella Tennant died suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 50.
“It is with great sadness that we announce Stella Tennant’s sudden death on December 22, 2020,” her family said in a statement to the Sun. “Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to all of us. She will be missed greatly. “
The statement continued, “Her family demands respect for their privacy. Appointments for a memorial service will be announced at a later date. “
The Scottish-born beauty came from an aristocratic family; her grandmother was the Hon. Deborah Mitford, the youngest of Mitford’s famous sisters.
Long a muse of the late Karl Lagerfeld, Tennant got her start in the fashion industry in the early 1990s and quickly caught the attention of photographers including Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber.
Over the course of her decades-long career, she has directed fashion magazines ranging from Harper’s Bazaar to French, British and Italian Vogue, posing for campaigns for Chanel, Calvin Klein, Hermès, Burberry and more.
In addition to visiting runways for Alexander McQueen, Prada, Versace and Chanel, she recently opened the Valentino Haute Couture Spring / Summer 2020 runway show in January.
She was also featured in the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, dazzling alongside fellow British supermodels such as Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Karen Elson.