The fashion world has been paying tribute to supermodel Tatjana Patitz following her death at the age of 56.
Her agent Corinne Nicolas confirmed to PEOPLE that she had died of breast cancer.
“She is survived by her son, her sister, and her parents. We are all devastated by her passing,” her agent shared in a statement with PEOPLE. ”
“She was compassionate soul, kind and generous of heart and an avid advocate of animal rights. One of the major causes she supported was the conservation of wild horses.”
The German-born model rose to fame in the 1990s after appearing on the famous 1990 British Vogue cover alongside Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, cementing her status as one of the five original “supermodels”.
She also appeared in George Michael’s iconic Freedom ’90 music video.
“I was in my own zone,” Tatjana told The New York Times in 2016 of filming the video.
“I had to kind of slide up and down the wall for part of the day. The feel of the set was so run-down, this big, loft kind of vibe. There was another setup with me laying on a chaise lounge with a black smoking jacket. I think I may have had a bustier on. And I was smoking, even. People still smoked in videos then and even in films.”
Remembering the model on Vogue.com, chief operating officer of Conde Nast and global editorial director of Vogue Anna Wintour said: “Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti.”
Adding: “She was far less visible than her peers, more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable, and that had its own appeal.”
Fellow supermodels Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen both paid tribute on Instagram.
“We were babies together in the fashion industry and I feel like we grew up together,” Cindy wrote.
“We were in so many shoots together and backstage at shows. I found her soft-spoken, sensitive, kind, inquisitive and, who could ever forget those piercing eyes. Her love of animals and nature was infectious.”
Helena wrote: “Beautiful Tatjana, you were such a divine spirit inside out. Always graceful and calm with that those wonderful smiling eyes.
“We went on so many trips together from such a young age and shared incredible memories. I loved being around you, it felt so peaceful and we always laughed a lot.”
The Peter Lindbergh Foundation paid tribute to “Tatjana’s kindness, inner beauty and outstanding intelligence”.
“She will be immensely missed,” a statement by the Foundation said.
In a 1988 interview with Vogue magazine, Tatjana attributed her success to “not looking like anyone else”.
“People always said that I looked special... And I was going to make it because of that,” she said at the time.
Her most recent catwalk appearance was in the Etro show in February 2019 as part of Milan fashion week.
She is survived by her 19-year-old son, Jonah.
