Back in 1990, at the height of his career, George Michael made the bold move of not starring in the now classic music video for his blockbuster hit “Freedom! ’90.”
Instead, the pop star enlisted the services of five of the biggest supermodels in the world–Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Tatjana Patitz–to lip sync the verses of the song in his place. The clip would become a mainstay on MTV, and in the rooms of many queer and/or questioning youth at the time.
On Tuesday, Vogue announced the sad news that Patitz had died at the age of 56. A cause of death has yet to be disclosed. RIP.
Crawford honored her former friend by sharing a throwback modeling photo with Patitz and included the note: “We were babies together in the fashion industry and I feel like we grew up together… I found her soft-spoken, sensitive, kind, inquisitive and, who could ever forget those piercing eyes.”
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Born in Germany, Patitz was discovered at age 17 and later moved to Paris to ignite her modeling career as the era of the supermodel began to take off.
Her stature was firmly cemented after landing the cover of British Vogue in January 1990 alongside Cindy, Naomi, Christy and Linda. Within the fashion world, the group became known as “The Big Five.”
my all time favourite vogue cover is this one from january 1990 – i have an original copy and it’s one of my favourite things! rest in peace tatjana patitz 🕊 pic.twitter.com/3VT8MTxk84
— Ruby Naldrett (@rubynaldrett) January 11, 2023
The British Vogue cover, shot by famed photographer Peter Lindbergh, is also what inspired Michael to cast the gorgeous quintet in the Freedom! ’90 video. The rest, as they say, is herstory.
When Michael passed away in 2016, Patitz paid tribute to him on social media by writing, “Farewell Dear George. Thank you for your voice and talent and being a big part of my youth.”
In the 2022 documentary George Michael Freedom Uncut, which centers on the making of his best-selling album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, all five supermodels reunited to discuss the late musician and their work filming the Freedom! ‘90 music video.
Cindy described the moment in time by saying, “It was a specific group of women that George wanted and had just been on the cover of British Vogue that was shot by Peter Lindbergh. It was like, he wants you five and it has to be all of you five.”
Naomi had a slightly different recollection and added, “George pitched it to me in LA and his exact words were, ‘You’re the leader of the gang and unless you say yes the rest of the girls won’t.’”
Sir Elton John also shared his thoughts on the music video’s history. “It changed the whole face of how videos were done,” John said in the film. “The video said everything. It was genius, and it was a revolutionary thing.”
In recent years, Patitz chose to lead her life out of the spotlight and focused on raising her son Jonah, who was born in 2004.
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“Tatjana was always the European symbol of chic, like Romy Schneider-meets-Monica Vitti,” Vogue editor Anna Wintour said in a statement. “She was far less visible than her peers—more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable—and that had its own appeal.”
Related: The late George Michael finally finds his ‘Freedom’
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Chrisk
I remember hitting it with some George Micheal models one time back in 2000. We were partying all night in the hollywood hills and I ended up back at their place for some hot fun.
It’s the guy in the cowboy hat and the dark haired hotty he was with. They had just filmed this a month before. They were a real life couple.
The next morning they kicked me out. They had a photoshoot to do that afternoon. Amazing they could still look so good after being up all night after drinking and doing blow. Ahh how I miss my youth. 🙂
h ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwZAYdHcDtU
bachy
Oh you do get around, baby… don’t you?
Paulie P
That video was Georges reply to getting caught jacking in a public restroom. Take it outside.
nm4047
@Paulie P, I think you may be getting that confused with the video for ‘outside’ which was release 2 years earlier.
Chrisk
Oh and RIP to Patitz. 56 is just way too young.
abfab
andthereisapossibilityofisabellarossellini
bachy
One likes to think of the beautiful as the picture of health and vitality. But sometimes they can also be very delicate. Thank you, Tatjana Patitz, for illuminating my youth with your special magic.
Paulie P
Tatjana is a beauty and so much part of an era that some of us were there to witness first hand. The supermodel era was a great one in the world of fashion.
Tatjana died from breast cancer. She was a life long smoker. Are the two related perhaps. She was a free spirit. She, like George in the above referenced video. loved The Outside. Nature was her thing. Rest easy pretty lady.
Kangol2
RIP to Patitz and to poor Lisa Marie Presley, who just died at 54. What a tragic life she lived.