Ed Hardy Founder, Christian Audigier Dies at 57

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French designer, Christian Audigier who was best known for his brand, Ed Hardy has reportedly passed away at the age of 57 from cancer.

The well-loved fashion mogul has been battling myelodysplastic syndrome since January — the same bone disease Good Morning America anchor, Robin Roberts was previously diagnosed with in 2012. After being re-admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, he reportedly slipped back into a coma before recently waking up. Back in April, he was reportedly in good spirits as he left the hospital.

Publicist and longtime friend, Michele Elyzabeth shares, “I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed.”

“Le Vif” (The Fast One)

The Ed Hardy honcho wasn’t known as the “fast one” for nothing. First breaking out into the fashion industry when he was only 14, Christian hasn’t slowed down since. In his early 20’s, he moved from Paris to New York and began working on popular labels such as Guess, Levi’s, XOXO, American Outfitters and Diesel.

Soon, he teamed up with Von Dutch owner, Kenny Howard, propelling the brand to retail stardom. It wasn’t until 2004 that Christian broke off and began to work on his own label, Ed Hardy — equally loved and endorsed by stars like Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Ashton Kutcher, LindsayLohanand Madonna. It’s been said that he was one of the few designers who catapulted his brand with the help of paparazzi-circled celebrities.

Being the hardworking, clever and generous man that he was, Christian Audigierbecame even more successful, adding more to his roster including SMET, MMA brand Pretorian and Christian Audigier. At this point, his net worth was believed to be an estimated $250million. He later on sold the company to Iconix Brand Group Inc. for $62 million.

Skulls, Tattoos & Geishas

If there’s one person who popularized skulls, tattoos and geishas in one platform, Christian Audigier is the first name that comes into mind. While his design was edgy and rebellious, he was known to be one of the kindest people in the fashion industry.

He is survived by his daughter and two sons.