British model Stella Tennant dies at 50

Stella Tennant, the unimpeachably aristocratic model and inspiration to designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace, died suddenly Tuesday, five days after her 50th birthday

er de at h wa s a nnounced in a statement by her family. The cause of death was not given. Police reports noted no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, according to the BBC.

The granddaughter of A ndrew Cavendish, the 11th Duke of Devonshire and Deborah Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire, the youngest of the Mitford sisters, Tennant was directly descended from Bess of Hardwick, builder of the opulent Elizabethan manor, Hardwick Hall, and once reputed to be the richest woman in England.

Tenn ant wore her rarefied heritage lightly throughout her three- decade run in fashion, during which she walked the runways for most major fashion designers; was featured in advertising campaigns for nearly every important label; appeared on scores of magazine covers; and worked with a full roster of the world’s elite photographers, editors, makeup artists and stylists.

A lon g w it h Na om i Campbell and Kate Moss, Tennant was chosen to represent English fashion at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics. In the late 1990s, Karl Lagerfeld signed her to an exclusive contract as the face of Chanel. In doing so, Lagerfeld noted the very English Tennant’s likeness to the incomparably Gallic founder of the fabled house.