Who was Patrick Demarchelier? Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski and more pay tribute as acclaimed photographer dies aged 78 

French photographer Patrick Demarchelier, who captured some of the most memorable portraits of the late Princess Diana, has died at the age of 78.

News of his demise was confirmed by the photographer's representatives on his official Instagram handle stating that he passed away on March 31.

For decades, Demarchelier's work defined fashion. He worked with a variety of models, actresses, and celebrities over the years, including Princess Diana.

After viewing one of his images on the cover of Vogue, the Princess of Wales called him in 1989.

The famous black and white portrait of Diana wearing a strapless dress and tiara was taken during their first session the following year. Following that, the princess took a bold step by asking Demarchelier to become her personal portraitist, making him the first non-British official photographer of the Royal Family.

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Brief information about Patrick Demarchelier

Born in 1943, Patrick Demarchelier was a native of Le Havre, France. He was born and raised in his hometown, and at the age of 17, discovered his passion for photography. Demarchelier moved to Paris when he was 20 years old, but began his photography career in the United States.

Demarchelier worked as an assistant photographer for a while in the United States, after arriving in the country with a former girlfriend. It was during this work that he discovered fashion photography.

He worked with renowned photographers and rose to prominence by photographing Princess Diana. His pictures of Princess Diana frequently had an odd character that highlighted the Princess' relaxed attitude.

In the early 1990s, the photographer began a 12-year association with renowned media outlets Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

During his time with them, he worked with a number of well-known fashion labels, including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Zara, Vera Wang, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, etc. His outstanding efforts earned him a mention in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada. "Get me Patrick," a phrase from the comedy-drama, was frequently cited.

In acknowledgment of his achievements, Demarchelier was honoured as an Officier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature) by the French Minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, in 2007. In 2008, he was recognized with a retrospective exhibition at Paris's Le Petit Palais. In 2011, he published Dior Couture Patrick Demarchelier, a portfolio of photographs taken by him of Dior Couture models dressed in haute couture dresses dating back to 1947.

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Several models paid homage to Patrick Demarchelier

Supermodels Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber, Cindy Crawford and others paid tribute to the late French photographer who passed away at 78 on March 31.

Hadid posted a series of pictures from her shoot for Vogue China with model Chu Wong that Patrick Demarchelier shot in 2017.

Expressing her gratitude, the 25-year-old model described him as the "most gentle, most legendary, soft but full of life."

Hailey Bieber took to her Instagram stories to post a picture of the duo hugging.

Screenshot of Hailey Bieber's Instagram story (Image via Instagram/ Hailey Bieber)

Gone Girl star and model Emily Ratajkowski uploaded a bunch of photos taken by the photographer in which she had posed naked for Love Magazine. In the caption, she expressed her honor to have worked with Demarchelier.

In one of the shots, the 30-year-old had donned a black leather gown.

Cindy Crawford also posted several pictures of herself including one for Vogue Paris and another in which she wore a bikini for Harper's Bazaar.

In the caption, she thanked Patrick Demarchelier for his "beautiful, timeless images."

Demarchelier resided in New York with his wife Mia, his three sons Gustaf, Arthur, Victor and three grandchildren.