Dame Vivienne Westwood has died at age 81.
Vivienne Westwood was a famous businesswoman and fashion designer who helped bring punk and new-wave styles into the mainstream.
Andreas Kronthaler, her husband and partner in making art, has spoken out about her death.
He said,
I will continue with Vivienne in my heart.
We have been working until the end and she has given me plenty of things to get on with.
In the video below, you can see Vivienne Westwood read her “Letter to Earth.”
Westwood’s fashion house put out a statement on Instagram that she had died.
It said that she died on December 29 in Clapham, South London, “peacefully and with her family around her.”
It read:
29th December 2022.
Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.
The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better.
Vivienne continued to do the things she loved, up until the last moment, designing, working on her art, writing her book, and changing the world for the better. She led an amazing life.
Her innovation and impact over the last 60 years has been immense and will continue into the future.
The statement continued:
Vivienne considered herself a Taoist.
She wrote, ‘Tao spiritual system. There was never more need for the Tao today.
Tao gives you a feeling that you belong to the cosmos and gives purpose to your life; it gives you such a sense of identity and strength to know you’re living the life you can live and therefore ought to be living: make full use of your character and full use of your life on Earth’.
The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better.
29th December 2022.
Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London.
The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better. pic.twitter.com/YQwVixYUrV
— Vivienne Westwood (@FollowWestwood) December 29, 2022
After hearing about what happened, thousands of Westwood’s fans took to social media to pay their respects.
One follower said:
An inspiration to all. An icon. And a beautiful soul.
Another added:
An absolute icon and there will never be another like her.
A third person said:
Such a great loss… May she rest in peace.
Another legend has passed, I’m heartbroken,
a fourth commented.
Someone else said:
The end of an era. RIP.
The famous designer was born in 1941 in the village of Tintwistle in the English county of Derbyshire.
In the 1970s, her slogan T-shirts, androgynous designs, and attitude toward the establishment gave her a name in the fashion world.
Vivienne Westwood was also known for the work she did to help people.
She held protests in public for a number of causes and campaigns about climate change.
At this time, we are thinking about her family and friends. RIP, Vivienne Westwood.
