Tatjana Patitz, a German supermodel who quickly became an icon in the ‘80s and ‘90s, has died at the age of 56. She died in Santa Barbara, California.

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AP News reports that Patitz death was confirmed by her agent, Corinne Nicolas, who said that she’d died of an illness. No further details were revealed.

Patitz is considered one of the original supermodels. Born in Germany and raised in Sweden, Patitz first entered the world of modeling at age 17, when she won third place in a modeling contest in Stockholm. In the late ‘80s she was photographed by cultural icon Peter Lindbergh and her career took off.

Later on, Patitz modeled for British Vogue and was a highlight of “Freedom! 90”, the George Michael music video that featured some of the world’s leading models, among them Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Patitz and Michael continued to work together on different projects.

Patitz lived a private life out of the runway. She has a son, Jonah, who’s also a model, and was an advocate for animals. She loved horses and was an ambassador for the American Wild Horse Sanctuary.

In an interview in 2006, Patitz talked about the end of the era of supermodels. “There was a real era, and the reason that happened was because glamour was brought into it,” she said to Prestige Honk Kong magazine. “Now the celebrities and actresses have taken over, and the models are in the backseat completely.”

Patitz also said that models from her era had healthier bodies. “Women were healthy, not these scrawny little models that nobody knows their names anymore,” she said.