Top Aussie model Lucy Markovic dies after brain surgery
Australian model Lucy Markovic has tragically lost her battle with a serious brain condition.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Donatella Versace and Alex Perry have led the tributes to Australian model Lucy Markovic after she tragically lost her battle with a serious brain condition.
Markovic’s partner, Carlo, had been updating family and friends around the world on her progress following multiple surgeries for brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a condition where abnormal blood vessels tangle and can lead to bleeding and damage to brain tissue.
“She was at peace,” a post on Markovic’s Instagram read.
“Me, her mother and my mother were present with her. May Lucy rest in peace.”
Markovic was aged 16 when she competed on Australia’s Next Top Model in 2015.
She placed second behind Brittany Beattie in the series that had Jennifer Hawkins and Alex Perry as judges.
She worked with Perry many times over the years, both here and abroad.
“It is just devastating,” Perry told The Daily Telegraph.
“Lucy was such a beautiful girl inside and out. She was a joy to work with and so professional. And just at that age too, to have that life taken away from her is really devastating.”
Vogue Australia’s Edwina McCann said: “I and the team at Vogue Australia are so sad to hear of Lucy’s passing. We are thinking of her friends and family. She was such a bright star on the local fashion scene who made it to the top with a Versace campaign and on the runways of Paris and Milan. She was kind, warm and funny. She will be missed.”
From the Gold Coast, Markovic went on to score representation from major agents globally and worked with huge brands, including Armani and Versace.
“I am so sorry to hear the news about @lucymarkovicc,” Donatella Versace wrote to her 12.4 million Instagram followers.
“Rest in peace beautiful girl.”
Markovic has been based abroad for much of the past several years but is understood to have returned home to Australia for treatment.
“Today, we lost a star,” Markovic’s Australian agent, KULT, shared in a tribute.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Lucy. She was radiant, warm and a beautiful soul. We will cherish being part of her journey. We extend our deepest condolences and love to her family, friends and everyone whose lives she touched. A star taken too soon, we are devastated. Be kind and love one another, we are all suffering today — rest in peace Lucy.”
Markovic was represented by Select Models in Paris and London, Fabbrica Milano in Milan, and Elite in the US.
“Lucy was a bright shining light, and had an incredible dry sense of humour. Her smile and laughter could light up a room, and draw you closer to her. She loved to dance, she really shined,” Elite wrote in its Instagram tribute.
“Modelling was one of Lucy’s dreams, and we are deeply honoured to have been part of that journey with her. She brought elegance, strength, and beauty to her work. But more than that, she brought herself — her warmth, her laughter, her light.”
In 2017, Markovic described herself to Confidential as “very lanky” but said her height set her apart from some other models.
“Victoria’s Secret would be the ultimate for me,” she said at the time ahead of her first international modelling trip.
“It is the one that everyone fantasies about and I like that it is about being healthy and fit.”
She also spoke of placing second on Australia’s Next Top Model.
“I don’t think you need to win (the show), you just need determination,” she said.
“Top Model taught me to be more confident, which is something I think you need to be successful in the modelling industry.
“It didn’t come easy; it was a lot of hard work to not worry about what anyone else is doing.”
Why Arq is building a fresh Aura
Legendary queer nightclub Arq is getting a facelift … and will reopen as Aura, a venue for all, in June.
Star’s PDA pledge: ‘Born to be a woman’s wife, not a man’s wife’
Former Bachelor, Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise star Brooke Blurton has been pictured packing on the PDA with girlfriend Mia Pimentel on Instagram.