7 Horrible Death Stories of Famous Top Models

The names Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista are known to everyone without exception. Since the early 1990s, they have participated in shows, posed for the most respected glossy magazines and the best fashion photographers. Legends of the catwalk and 30 years later are not only guests of honor in the front rows, but also the most admired models that every brand dreams of having for its fashion shows. And yes, they stay in bed for “less than ten thousand dollars a day.”

But not every girl is this lucky. While some achieve stunning success, others fall as quickly as they rose to the top of the fashionable Olympus. The reputation of the modeling business is not really known for its perfection. Almost one in every two girls has faced abuse, depression, bulimia, and other problems on the list. By the way, we wrote a separate article about the sad side of the industry.

Today we will tell seven sad stories about Russian and foreign models whose lives were tragically cut short.

Gia Carangi

Gia Carangi definitely deserves the title of the most sought-after model of the late 1970s. At 18, she starred in Versace campaigns and posed for Helmut Newton, and at 19, she appeared on the cover of Vogue. Photographers called him a chameleon for his ability to adapt to any environment, and filmmakers forgave him even his most scandalous eccentricities. But Karanja’s wild popularity also had a dark side (read: drug addiction).

By the early 1980s, the situation was completely out of control: he could easily fall asleep during filming or excuse himself for a cigarette and fail to return. In 1983, the model declared bankruptcy and moved to Atlantic City, where she began working as a saleswoman. Three years later he was hospitalized with suspected pneumonia. But the diagnosis turned out to be much worse: AIDS. Gia died in hospital on November 18, 1986. She was only 26 years old.

Margot Hemingway

Margot Hemingway is another legendary model of the 1970s. And yes, as his surname suggests, he is the grandson of the famous writer Ernest Hemingway. Half a century ago, Margot shone on the covers of the most respected glossy magazines – from Vogue and Elle to Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar, and also became the first model in history to earn a million dollars. This amount is not small by today’s standards, but it was an exorbitant amount in the 1970s. Margot Hemingway received such a fee thanks to a contract with the cosmetics concern Faberge. Meanwhile, around the same time, Time named Hemingway’s granddaughter the most desirable model in America. And then drug addiction, depression and bulimia. On July 1, 1996, Margo committed suicide. She was only 36 years old.

Regina Zbarskaya

“Soviet Sophia Loren”, “the main weapon of the Kremlin” and “Italian beauty” – this is how the most popular model of the USSR, Regina Zbarskaya, was called. She got into the industry thanks to costume designer Vera Aralova, who invited the gorgeous brunette to audition at the All-Union House of Clothing Models. Success did not take long to come, a few years later young Zbarskaya went to Paris. They say that Pierre Cardin, Marc Bohan, Guy Laroche and other French fashion designers admired her appearance. But her life was completely different from a fairy tale. A break with her husband, being taken to the KGB and a psychiatric hospital led to her suicide. Regina Zbarskaya took a fatal dose of sleeping pills when she was 52 years old.

Ruslana Korshunova

Do you remember the iconic commercial for Nina Ricci perfume from the late 2000s, where a girl in a soft pink ball gown picks an apple-shaped perfume from a tree? Thus, Ruslana Korshunova, a model of Russian origin, took the role. Her dizzying career began at the age of 16, when she was noticed by a representative of the large agency Models 1 and offered a contract. In 2005, she was named one of the main modeling discoveries of the year and was called the Russian Rapunzel. But in 2008, at the peak of her career, Ruslana fell from the window of her Manhattan apartment. Police considered it a suicide. But some do not believe this version. Firstly, the model did not leave a suicide note, secondly, the janitor claims that Korshunova’s hair was cut, thirdly, the distance between the building and the body was too large. The model also visited the Rose of the World training center for a long time. Many believe that it was representatives of this organization who drove him to suicide. There are numerous versions of what happened: some claim that Korshunova was killed by a psychopathic maniac, others believe that she was driven away because of money, and still others tend to believe that she could not stand it.

Chrissy Taylor

Chrissy Taylor became famous at the age of 11, thanks to her older sister, Nikki. She was the one who brought Chrissie to the modeling agency. At first, the girls worked only together, but after a few years the younger sister starred in Seventeen magazine, participated in shows at Fashion Week and signed a contract with the largest modeling agency IMG. But on July 2, 1995, tragedy struck: 17-year-old Chrissy Taylor was found dead in her Florida home. Cause of death: rare heart disease.

Dorothy Stratten

Dorothy Stratten was born and raised in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Vancouver. But one meeting changed everything. The model was noticed by photographer Paul Snyder when she was only 17 years old. She was the one who convinced him to send photos to Playboy magazine. Since Dorothy was still a minor, her mother’s signature had to be forged. As a result, she moved to Los Angeles a year later, became Playboy’s Playmate of the Month, and starred in Hollywood films. She also reportedly married the same photographer, Paul Snyder, at her own expense. So it’s no surprise that their marriage didn’t last long. In 1980, Dorothy went to director Peter Bogdanovich. Snyder couldn’t forgive her for this – he raped and murdered her on August 14, 1980. And then she committed suicide.

Edie Sedgwick

Andy Warhol’s Muse, the style icon of the last century and the chief rebel of the Factory. Edie Sedgwick had incredible charisma, painted her eyes deep black and lived as if tomorrow would never come. She also suffered from alcohol and drug addiction. Edie died in 1971, when she was only 28 years old. The official cause of death was “possible acute poisoning from barbiturates.”