Famed fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier dies at age 78

Photographer Patrick Demarchelier is seen at a fashion show in New York in 2004.

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Thos Robinson/Getty Images

Photographer Patrick Demarchelier is seen at a fashion show in New York in 2004.

Thos Robinson/Getty Images

Patrick Demarchelier, a leading fashion photographer of his era, has died, according to a statement on his Instagram account.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Patrick Demarchelier on March 31st 2022, at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife Mia, his three sons Gustaf, Arthur, Victor and three grandchildren,” the posting reads, accompanied by an image of the photographer dressed in white.

Demarchelier was best known for his tender portraits of Princess Diana, for whom he served as a personal photographer. But Demarchelier was a star lensman for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar for decades. Born in France, his career took off in the early 1990s; he was name-checked in the film The Devil Wears Prada. But Demarchelier was also an alleged abuser; a 2018 article in The Boston Globe drew on numerous interviews with models who accused him of sexual misconduct, which the photographer denied.

Patrick Demarchelier’s image of Princess Diana is seen at a Sotheby’s auction in 2019.

Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby’s

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Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby’s

Patrick Demarchelier’s image of Princess Diana is seen at a Sotheby’s auction in 2019.

Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby’s

In 2012, in an interview with WHYY’s Fresh Air, the pioneering Black model Beverly Johnson mentioned Demarchelier as one of the few white photographers who supported her career. “I remember, you know, working with Avedon, and you get … photographers that really don’t get your beauty, because they — I guess they’re really not used to, you know, looking at a woman of color and thinking of her as beautiful. But you have photographers like Francesco Scavullo and Patrick Demarchelier who get it,” she said.