R.I.P.

Patrick Demarchelier, Fashion and Portrait Photographer, Dies at 78

The celebrated artist was known for his intimate portraits of Princess Diana, though his later career was clouded by sexual harassment allegations.

Patrick Demarchelier, the celebrated fashion photographer who became the first non-Brit appointed an official royal photographer, died on Thursday, according to a statement posted to his Instagram. He was 78. The French artist was known for his covers with publications like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and Rolling Stone. It was his work in Vogue that caught the eye of Diana, Princess of Wales, who enlisted Demarchelier as her personal portraitist. The first non-Brit appointed an official royal photographer, Demarchelier would also go on to shoot many more stars, including Madonna, Janet Jackson, and Kate Moss. Over more than four decades, the photographer also orchestrated international advertising campaigns for powerful brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Yves Saint Laurent. His legacy was marred irreparably in 2018, however, with seven models accusing him of sexual harassment and assault in a bombshell Boston Globe exposé of the fashion industry. Demarchelier denied the allegations, but Condé Nast immediately cut ties with him, and his career never truly recovered. Demarchelier is survived by his wife, three sons, and three grandchildren, according to his Instagram.

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