Christian Audigier, the fashion designer behind the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch clothing lines, has died. He was 57.
Audigier’s death was confirmed by his longtime publicist, Michele Elyzabeth. “I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed,” she told LUFTUSA.com.
The site reports that he was recently re-admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital and had gone into a coma before waking up. There were also reports that he was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in January. That is the same bone disease that Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts fought in 2012, notes TMZ.
Audigier was reportedly worth $250 million at the time of his death. In addition to his own iconic lines, he also worked with Guess, Levi’s, American Outfitters and XOXO.
He’s still best known for the Ed Hardy T-shirts he designed during the 2000’s that featured tattoo patterns, skulls and other designs. That company is now owned by Iconix Brand Group Inc., which bought it for $62 million.
image courtesy of INFevents.com