Thierry Mugler Has Died

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Photo: Florian G Seefried/Getty Images

On Sunday night, it was announced that French fashion designer Thierry Mugler died at the age of 73. A cause of death has not been confirmed.

“We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr. Manfred Thierry Mugler,” an Instagram post on Mugler’s personal account read. “May his soul Rest In Peace.” The designer’s eponymous fashion house also confirmed his passing on Instagram, describing him as a “visionary whose imagination as a couturier, perfumer and image-maker empowered people around the world to be bolder and dream bigger every day.”

Mugler, 1997. Photo: Alan Strutt/Courtesy of Mugler

Mugler was a pioneer in haute couture, known for boundary-pushing designs that were equal parts dramatic and sexy. His designs’ signature silhouette featured broad shoulders and a cinched waist, like Kim Kardashian West’s “wet” look for the 2019 Met Gala. In 2021, Mugler’s retrospective exhibition, titled “Thierry Mugler, Couturissime,” was presented at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Originally having opened in 2019 at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the exhibition showcased “the fascinating universe” Mugler created with his work in the fashion industry, the entertainment industry, and beyond.

Cardi B in Mugler. Photo: Marc Piasecki/WireImage

Throughout his 50-year career, Mugler worked with celebrities including Madonna, Linda Evangelista, Zendaya, and Cardi B. His life and legacy have been commemorated on social media by celebrities like Brigitte Nielsen, Bella Hadid, and Diana Ross. “I will miss you Thierry Mugler,” Ross wrote on Twitter alongside an old picture of the two of them. “This was a wonderful time in our lives.”

Mugler was a man of many talents, specifically those involving art that the human body can create. In addition to his work in fashion, Mugler was an acrobat, a dancer, and a bodybuilder. In a 2019 conversation with Interview magazine, Mugler shared the advice he said he often gave to young people, both in the fashion industry and beyond: “Be clear what you want to say. Make sure that people get it.”

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French fashion icon, Manfred Thierry Mugler, dead at 73

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French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, whose dramatic designs were worn by celebrities like Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B, has died. He was 73.

The announcement came on his official Instagram which said he died Sunday but did not give a cause of death. Mugler was known for his architectural style, defined by broad shoulders and a tiny waist.

Mugler once told Interview Magazine, “I’ve always felt like a director, and the clothes I did were a direction of the everyday"

The use of plastic-like futuristic fabric became a trademark. Mugler defined haute couture over several decades, dressing up Diana Ross and Beyonce at galas, on red carpets and runways.

Today’s fashion world sent an outpouring of sympathy for the loss, with model Bella Hadid writing on Instagram, “Nonononono” and actress January Jones responding with a heart on Instagram, the Associated Press reported.

Legendary French Fashion Designer Thierry Mugler Dead at 73

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French fashion designer Thierry Mugler is pictured on October 10, 2014 in Friedrichstadt-Palace theater in Berlin after a dress rehearsal of the new show “The Wyld - Not of this world”. The world premiere is scheduled for October 23.

Britta Pedersen/DPA/AFP via Getty

Manfred Thierry Mugler, the celebrity-favorite fashion designer behind his eponymous line, has died. He was 73.

The French designer’s team announced Mugler’s passing Sunday, sharing a black square to his personal Instagram profile with the tragic news, which was written in both English and French.

“We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday January 23rd 2022. May his soul Rest In Peace,” the caption read.

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His cause of death was not readily available and reps for Mugler did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The announcement was met with shock and grief in the comments section. “So sad. Mr Mugler was a genius,” wrote Jennifer Tilly. “I cannot believe this is true sending love to you all. Thierry was a force of creativity and kindness,” Georgia May Jagger commented. “OMG NOOOOO! I am devastated such horrible sad news :(((( my love RIP I live to never forget you!!” nightlife legend Susanne Bartsch wrote.

Born Dec. 21, 1948, in Strasbourg, France, Mugler began designing in the 1970s. He eventually became known for his dramatic, avant-garde designs.

RELATED: Kim Kardashian Is ‘Wet, Dripping’ at the Met Gala in Mugler Dress that Took 8 Months to Make

He retired from fashion in 2002 before Clarins shuttered his ready-to-wear brand the next year, yet the iconic designer remained a staple in the world of fashion. The brand was relaunched in 2010 as Mugler, which is currently under the creative direction of designer Casey Cadwallader.

French fashion designer Thierry Mugler is pictured on October 10, 2014 in Friedrichstadt-Palace theater in Berlin after a dress rehearsal of the new show “The Wyld - Not of this world”.

Britta Pedersen/DPA/AFP via Getty

Mugler has come out of retirement on a few occasions, creating the costumes for Beyoncé’s 2009 I Am… World Tour. In 2019, he designed the dress Kim Kardashian wore to the Met Gala, inspired by Sophia Loren in Boy on a Dolphin.

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“He always, it’s a full vision from, you know, hair to nails to everything,” Kardashian, 41, told PEOPLE of Mugler in 2019. “His runway shows were the most legendary and iconic runway shows ever.”

RELATED VIDEO: Fashion Icon and Former Vogue Creative Director André Leon Talley Dead at 73

His daring designs have also been worn by celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Madonna, Cardi B, Cindy Crawford, George Michael, David Bowie, Nicole Kidman, Megan Fox, Katy Perry, Rihanna and more.

French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler dead at 73

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French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler dead at 73

French fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler has died, a statement on his official Instagram account confirmed Sunday. He was 73.

The cause of his death was not disclosed.

Mugler was known for his adventurous, theatrical designs, which have been worn by supermodels, Hollywood royalty and fashionistas all around the world.

Model Bella Hadid reacted to the post in a comment on Mugler’s Instagram. “Nonononono,” she wrote, along with a sad-face emoji.

“Fashion visionary and one of the most influential and admired designers of his generation Manfred Thierry Mugler passed away today,” the CFDA tweeted, along with a photo of supermodel Iman wearing one of Mugler’s designs on the runway.

“Gone to soon … God of fashion .. a rarely REAL, kindness , sweetest .. u ll be always missed by your Russian…,” model Irina Shayk wrote in an Instagram post, alongside a photo of herself with Mugler.

His death comes less than a week after fellow industry icon and former Vogue editor André Leon Talley died, also at age 73.

Mugler was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1948. While he was always interested in design, he was also passionate about classical dance, theater and cinema, and practiced ballet. His love of fantasy and Hollywood drama carried into his couture designs, making him an international sensation.

It was in the 1980s and 1990s when his career truly thrived, though in recent years, several of his inventive designs caused shockwaves on the red carpet. In 2019, he was responsible for Kim Kardashian’s “wet look” dress for the Met Gala, and that same year dressed Cardi B in a pink and black “stormy Venus” dress for the Grammy Awards.

The designer also released various popular perfumes and a cosmetics line, Thierry Mugler Beauty.

He was also an author and artist. In 1988, his book of photography hit the stands, and 10 years later, he published Thierry Mugler: Fashion Fetish Fantasy, which offers an overview of his work as a designer and creator.

French fashion designer Thierry Mugler dies at 73 – Nation & World News

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“May his soul Rest In Peace,” his Instagram said in a post that was all black with no image. It did not give a cause of death.

(Image credit: Remy de la Mauviniere/AP)