Supermodel Tatjana Patitz dead at 56: Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and other ’90s supermodels then and now

The 1990s produced a number of iconic supermodels. And sadly we lost one of them this week when Tatjana Patitz died at 56.

The model, who was born in Germany and raised in Sweden, died in the Santa Barbara, California, area. Her death was confirmed to the Associated Press by her New York agent, Corinne Nicolas, at the Model CoOp agency. Nicolas told WWD she died from breast cancer and was under hospice care at the time of her death.

The model rose to fame in the 1980s and entered her first modeling contest when she was 17 in Stockholm. Her career began after she was photographed by Peter Lindbergh in 1988 for his famous photo, “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu.”

In 1990, she modeled for British Vogue, which landed her an appearance in George Michael’s “Freedom ’90” music video. Patitz starred alongside fellow supermodels Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington.

Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz and Cindy Crawford were iconic models in the 1990s.
(Getty Images)

Here’s a look at where some of the iconic ’90s models are now.

Cindy Crawford

Cindy Crawford first made her debut in the modeling world at 17 when she entered the Elite Model Management’s Look of the Year contest. In 1990, she joined Patitz on the cover of British Vogue.

Cindy Crawford is shown in 1990.
(Ron Galella/File)

She quickly became a sensation and walked the runway for designers such as Chanel, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Michael Kors, Christian Dior, DKNY, Ralph Lauren, Valentino and Calvin Klein.

Crawford, 56, retired from modeling in 2000 but made a brief return to cover Vogue Mexico in 2011. She went on to marry restaurateur Rande Gerber, and they share two children: Presley and Kaia.

Cindy Crawford is shown in September.
(Dimitrios Kambouris/File)

She also created a skin care line, Meaningful Beauty, in 2004.

Linda Evangelista

In 1978, Linda Evangelista entered the Miss Teen Niagara beauty pageant. Although she was not the winner, she was noticed by Elite Model Management – one of the world’s biggest modeling agencies.

Linda Evangelista is shown in April 1990.
(Ron Galella/File)

In 1984, the agency signed her. The Canada native, 57, caused controversy in 1988 when she cut her hair short for a photoshoot with Peter Lindbergh. After changing her hairstyle, Evangelista went on to land coveted modeling jobs, including the cover of British Vogue alongside Crawford and Patitz.

Evangelista is famously known for saying that she “didn’t get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.”

Linda Evangelista attends the 2015 Fragrance Foundation Awards in New York City.
(Gilbert Carrasquillo/File)

The supermodel retired from her modeling career in 1998. She welcomed her son, August James Evangelista, in 2006. It was later revealed that his father is Salma Hayek’s husband, Francois-Henri Pinault. This was disclosed when Evangelista filed legal paperwork seeking child support from Pinault.

Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell made her debut in the modeling world when she was 15 and went on to be the first Black woman featured on French Vogue and Time. In 1987, she landed her first British Vogue cover.

Naomi Campbell is shown in Paris in 1990.
(Daniel Simon/File)

Campbell, 52, said she faced obstacles at the beginning of her career due to the color of her skin.

“When I started out, I wasn’t being booked for certain shows because of the color of my skin. I didn’t let it rattle me. From attending auditions and performing at an early age, I understood what it meant to be Black. You had to put in the extra effort. You had to be twice as good,” she wrote in the book “Naomi Campbell” by Taschen.

She went on to become an actress, with her most notable role being Camilla Marks-Whiteman in “Empire.”

Naomi Campbell attends The Fashion Awards in 2022.
(Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/File)

Campbell is one of the world’s most famous models, having graced more than 500 magazine covers and walked in countless runway shows. She is now a mother, welcoming her daughter in May 2021 at 50.

Christy Turlington

At just 18, Christy Turlington left California and moved to New York City to pursue her modeling career.

Christy Turlington is shown in 1990.
(George Chinsee/File)

When she was 20, she signed a deal with Calvin Klein to be the face of the brand starting in 1989. Turlington joined the other supermodels – Crawford, Campbell, Patitz and Evangelista – to cover British Vogue in 1990.

In 1991, Gianni Versace hired Turlington, Campbell, Crawford and Evangelista to walk simultaneously in his runway show. Turlington, 54, went on to sign a contract with Maybelline in 1992, and the following year, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art named Turlington the “Face of the 20th Century.”

Christy Turlington presents a creation of Kim Jones for the Fendi Spring-Summer 2021.
(Stephane de Sakutin/File)

She married actor Edward Burns in 2003 and the couple went on to have two children: Grace, 19, and Finn, 16.

Kate Moss

Kate Moss was first discovered when she was 14 at John F. Kennedy International Airport and was signed immediately by Storm Model Management.

Kate Moss attends the Versace runway show circa 1990s in Milan, Italy.
(PL Gould/Images/File)

In the 1990s, Moss dominated headlines with her romance with Johnny Depp. In May 2022, Moss testified during the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp defamation trial that the former “Pirates of the Caribbean” star never physically abused her during their three-year relationship between 1994 and 1997.

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The 48-year-old supermodel’s career is still going strong as she continues to do modeling campaigns. Her most recent collaboration was for Marc Jacobs’ Resort 2022/2023 campaign at the end of the year.

Johnny Depp and Kate Moss
(Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage/File)

Kate Moss attends the WSJ Magazine 2022 Innovator Awards in November.
(Dimitrios Kambouris/File)

Moss shares her 19-year-old daughter, Lila, with Jefferson Hack.

Elle Macpherson

Australian model Elle Macpherson, also known as “The Body,” made her debut in the modeling world when she was 17.

Elle Macpherson is shown in the early 1990s.
(Rose Hartman/File)

She graced the cover of SI Swimsuit a record five times in her career, leading Time to grant her the nickname in 1989.

Macpherson proved she had much more to offer than her good looks, and she became an actress in the ’90s. She starred in “The Mirror Has Two Faces” in 1996 and worked alongside George Clooney in “Batman & Robin” in 1997.

Elle Macpherson attends Christian Dior Womenswear Spring/Summer 2023.
(Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis/File)

The model also has two sons with French financer Arpad Busson: Arpad Flynn Busson, 24, and Aurelius Busson, 19.

Heidi Klum

In 1992, Heidi Klum entered the Model 92 beauty contest at 18 years old.

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Up against thousands of competitors, Klum walked away with the grand prize: a contract with New York City’s Metropolitan Models.

Heidi Klum is shown in 1990.
(Rose Hartman/File)

The model, 49, became Victoria’s Secret’s first German Angel.

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Klum has had a long, successful career in modeling and has also shown off her talents in other avenues. She is currently a judge on “America’s Got Talent.”

Heidi Klum attended the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards in January.
(Frazer Harrison/File)

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Klum’s daughter, Leni, seems to be following in her mother’s footsteps. Leni launched her modeling career at the age of 16. Klum and her daughter appeared together on the cover of Vogue Germany for the January/February issue in 2021.