The Iconic British Model Stella Tennant Died At 50

Stella Tennant (17 December 1970 – 22 December 2020) was a British model. The daughter of The Hon. Tobias William Tennant, son of the 2nd Baron Glenconner, and Lady Emma Cavendish, Tennant was a grandchild of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire and The Hon. Deborah Mitford, one of the Mitford sisters. In 1993, she attracted the attention of photographers such as Steven Meisel and Bruce Weber and soon achieved success as a fashion model, posing for magazines such as French, British and Italian Vogue; Harper’s Bazaar; and Numero.

Renowned supermodel Stella Tennant, who modeled for the likes of Chanel and Hermes, died on Dec. 22, 2020, just days after her 50th birthday. “It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant,” her family told The Sun in a statement. “Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed.” They continued, “Her family ask for their privacy to be respected. Arrangements for a memorial service will be announced at a later date.” As of this writing, there is no additional information about her cause of death. 

Scotland-born Tennant is survived by her husband, David Lasnet, as well as their children, Marcel, Cecily, Jasmine, and Iris. Outside of building a beautiful family, Tennant is best remembered for strutting the catwalk in the 90s with the likes of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. She was also known for being a “longtime muse” to the late Karl Lagerfeld, as well as gracing the covers of the most elite magazines including Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, as Page Six noted. Tennant’s career withstood the test of time, with her last runway walk opening the Valentino Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2020 show in January, per Page Six.

Following the news of Tennant’s untimely passing, many influential players in the fashion industry posted tributes in her honour and sent kind words to her family. Keep on reading to find out what they had to say.