French designer Christian Audigier, best known for his creations at Ed Hardy and Von Dutch, died in Los Angeles Thursday after a battle with cancer. He was 57.
Audigier was popular with young Hollywood stars such as Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Kim Kardashian, Lindsey Lohan, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and reality couple Jon and Kate Gosselin in the mid-2000s. Madonna and the late Michael Jackson were also big supporters.
Often mocked by fashion elite for his logo-heavy, rhinestone-crusted designs and bright trucker hats, Audigier had an estimated net worth of $250 million and sold Ed Hardy in 2011 for $62 million.
Along with his fashion empire, he released a line of fine wines wrapped in his designs and was a partner along in a nightclub at the Treasure Island Hotel in Las Vegas.
Audigier was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, the same bone disease that “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts battled in 2012.
Born in Avignon, France, Audigier began working in the fashion industry at age 14, before moving to New York and later Los Angeles to work with top brands such as Guess, Levis, Diesel, American Outfitters, Fiourucii, Bisou Bisou, XOXO, Ed Hardy and Von Dutch.