Karl Lagerfeld dead aged 85 - Chanel designer dies in hospital after secret cancer battle

Karl Lagerfeld dead aged 85 - Chanel designer dies in hospital after secret cancer battle Iconic Chanel fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died in Paris at the age of 85 after more than three decades as the face of the French design house Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld has died aged 85 after a cancer battle. The iconic designer, who was the creative director of Chanel, is believed to have been unwell for two weeks before his death in a Paris hospital. The House of Chanel has now confirmed his death. According to sources close to him, Lagerfeld was rushed to hospital on Monday while suffering from pancreatic cancer. "He hadn't gone on about his illness, but battled it very bravely," said one insider. "Karl was very proud of his fitness and healthy living, so the pancreatic cancer came as a huge shock." Another source in Paris said: "The state of his health had been a cause of concern for a number of weeks. "He had not been seen at fashion shows that he was expected to attend. Karl was admitted to hospital on Monday, and died on Tuesday morning." How did Karl Lagerfeld die? Chanel boss's cause of death as he passes away aged 85  A spokesman for the company confirmed Lagerfeld's death, hailing him as an "extraordinary creative individual" and said he reinvented the brand’s codes created by Gabrielle Chanel.   He said these included the Chanel jacket and suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewellery. Alain Wertheimer, CEO of Chanel, said: "Thanks to his creative genius, generosity and exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the House of Chanel's success throughout the world. "Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind to whom I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand." Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at Chanel, added: "Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of Chanel. "He steadfastly promoted the talent and expertise of Chanel's ateliers and Métiers d'Art, allowing this exceptional know-how to shine throughout the world. "The greatest tribute we can pay today is to continue to follow the path he traced by – to quote Karl – 'continuing to embrace the present and invent the future'."   And a statement was posted on Lagerfeld's own Instagram. "The House of KARL LAGERFELD shares, with deep emotion and sadness, the passing of its creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, on February 19, 2019, in Paris, France," it read. "He was one of the most influential and celebrated designers of the 21st century and an iconic, universal symbol of style. Driven by a phenomenal sense of creativity, Karl was passionate, powerful and intensely curious. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as one of the greatest designers of our time, and there are no words to express how much he will be missed." Lagerfeld had missed two of Chanel's haute couture Paris shows in on January 22, but the fashion company only said at the time he was feeling tired.   In a statement read out after he missed the second show, it said: "Mr Lagerfeld, artistic director of Chanel, who was feeling tired, asked Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house, to represent him."   It was the first time he had ever missed giving a catwalk bow at the end of a Chanel show. Karl Lagerfeld dead: How Chanel designer leaves beloved and VERY famous cat Choupette an orphan