The creative director for Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, has died, multiple media outlets are reporting.
Born Karl Otto Lagerfelt in 1933, Lagerfeld has not felt well for a few weeks, the BBC reported. He apparently missed a few recent fashion shows.
Chanel confirmed Lagerfeld's death Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Lagerfeld missed Chanel's Paris show in January. Company spokespeople said he was tired, The Associated Press reported. Instead, Lagerfeld's studio director, Virginie Viard, wrapped the show in his place.
Lagerfeld has been Chanel's creative director since 1983 and was known for his long white hair, black sunglasses and high starched collars paired with gloves, Sky News reported.
"I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that," Reuters reported Lagerfeld as saying about his persona. "It is like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long."
Lagerfeld still drew his designs by hand and was an accomplished photographer, Reuters reported.
Chanel was not his only creative fashion outlet. He also designed collections for LVMH's Fendi and his own label, according to Reuters.
A celebrity online magazine in France said he died Tuesday morning after being rushed to a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine outside Paris Monday night, according to Reuters.
Lagerfeld was 85.
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