Ed Hardy clothing line creator dies at 57

joan

July 10, 2015 9:32 AM

His death was confirmed in a statement by his longtime publicist Michele Elyzabeth who told LATF USA: ''I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed.''

Christian Audigier, best known for his work on clothing label Ed Hardy, has died at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer. His death comes few days after his former partner, playboy fashion boss, Regis Mijatovic was gunned down in a suspected Mafia hit on the French Riviera while he sat eating at a fish restaurant in Cros de Cagne, near Nice earlier this week.

His death was confirmed in a statement by his longtime publicist Michele Elyzabeth who told LATF USA: ''I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed.''

The fashion mogul was reportedly re-admitted to Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and slipped into a coma before recently waking up.

According to a TMZ report in April, Audigier admitted he was diagnosed with MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome) in January, which happens to be the same bone disease ABC anchor Robin Roberts was diagnosed with back 2012.

The gossip site also reported that he received a bone marrow transplant on March 19 upon completion of his chemotherapy.

Outside the hospital, Christian was welcomed back by his family and girlfriend, Nathalie Sorensen, who even gave him a warm kiss. The Ed Hardy founder could not help but smile as he stood in front of a banner with the inspirational words 'never give up' spelled out on it.

The French entrepreneur began working in the fashion industry at the ripe age of 14 before moving to New York in his early 20's to work with brands including Guess, Levis, Diesel and Bisou Bisou. He then teamed up with the owner of Von Dutch to propel the brand into the spotlight before breaking off in 2004 to popularize his own Ed Hardy brand.

He is survived by his daughter and two sons. His net worth is an estimated $250million according to Celebrity Net Worth.

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joan