SCOTTISH fashion icon Stella Tennant has died suddenly, her family has confirmed.
Tennant, who turned 50 just five days before her death on December 22, was known for being the face of Chanel and walking the runway for designers including Versace and Alexander McQueen.
She was also among models representing the British fashion industry during the closing ceremony at the Olympic Stadium, on the final day of the London 2012 Olympics.
Tennant found success as a model in 1993, and continued working until this year.
She has appeared in magazines including French, British, and Italian Vogue as well as Harper's Bazaar and Numero.
Tennant married French-born photographer David Lasnet in the small parish church of Oxnam in the Scottish Borders in 1999. They had four children together.
The Scottish model was a muse of Karl Lagerfeld, who served as creative director of French fashion house Chanel for more than three decades. Lagerfeld said she had a striking resemblance to Coco Chanel.
Tennant also appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including for Calvin Klein, Hermes, and Burberry.
In June 2012, she was inducted as Model of the Year in the Scottish Fashion Awards Hall of Fame.
She attended St Leonards School in St Andrews, before studying sculpture at Winchester School of Art in southern England.
Tennant came from the aristocratic Cavendish family, and was the granddaughter of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire. Through him she was also related by marriage to the American Kennedy family.
Her family said in a statement: "It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant on December 22, 2020.
"Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed.
"Her family ask for their privacy to be respected. Arrangements for a memorial service will be announced at a later date."
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Officers were called to an address in Duns, Scottish Borders, around 11.30am on Tuesday 22 December following the sudden death of a 50-year-old woman.
"Her next of kin have been made aware.
"There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here