Oscar de la Renta, American designer, has died at 82.
De la Renta had appointed Peter Copping as Creative Director of his eponymous brand only just last week. The designer had been battling cancer since 2006.
According to a handwritten statement given to The Associated Press and signed by his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen, also the CEO of Oscar de la Renta.
“While our hearts are broken by the idea of life without Oscar, he is still very much with us. Oscar’s hard work, his intelligence and his love of life are at the heart of our company,” reads the statement. “All that we have done, and all that we will do, is informed by his values and his spirit.”
As of Tuesday morning, Oscar de la Renta’s homepage features a handwritten note from Eliza and Alex. It reads, in part, “He died exactly as he lived: with tremendous grace, great dignity and very much on his own terms.”
And live he did. In a career that spanned some 50-plus years, de la Renta dressed everyone from first ladies to virtually every celebrity. Human rights lawyer and activist Amal Clooney donned a truly spectacular de la Renta gown when she married actor George Clooneylast month.
Photo: Getty Images
