The fashion designer passed away after several weeks of ill health and having missed two of Chanel's haute couture shows in Paris last month, Closer magazine reported
LEGENDARY fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld passed away this morning in France aged 85.
The fashion icon died after several weeks of ill health and was rushed to a hospital in Paris last night.
His health had been failing for several weeks and there was widespread concern when he did not appear at the end of the recent Chanel Show in Paris.
According to numerous unconfirmed sources in the French media, he had succumbed to a secret battle with pancreatic cancer.
One source said: "He hadn’t gone on about his illness, but battled it very bravely. Karl was very proud of his fitness and healthy living, so the pancreatic cancer came as a huge shock."
Victoria Beckham led the tributes, posting on Instagram: "So incredibly sad to hear this. Karl was a genius and always so kind and generous to me both personally and professionally. RIP."
The First Lady of the United States, Melania Trump, later took to Twitter to pay her respects.
Writing to her 11.6 million Twitter followers she called him a “creative genius”.
“Today the world lost a creative genius. We will miss you Karl! #RIPKarlLagerfeld,” she wrote.
German-born Lagerfeld was dubbed the "Kaiser of Fashion" for presiding over iconic fashion house Chanel for more than 30 years.
The superstar designer produced as many as eight collections a year to the joy of fashion editors, fans and collectors.
Alain Wertheimer, CEO of Chanel, said: "Thanks to his creative genius, generosity and exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the House of Chanel’s success throughout the world.
"Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind to whom I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand."
Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at Chanel, said: "Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of Chanel.
"He steadfastly promoted the talent and expertise of Chanel’s ateliers and Métiers d’Art, allowing this exceptional know-how to shine throughout the world.
"The greatest tribute we can pay today is to continue to follow the path he traced by - to quote Karl - 'continuing to embrace the present and invent the future'."
Lagerfeld was born into a wealthy German family in Hamburg on September 10, 1933, moving to Paris in 1953 to follow his dream of a career in fashion.
In later life he claimed he fell in love with the fashion industry when his mum took him to a Dior show in 1949.
He quickly made a name for himself but made his biggest career move in 1983 when Chanel made him creative director.
He is credited with making the label more modern and appealing to a younger audience with a range of exciting new colours, modified cuts and other fabrics.
Over the years, Lagerfeld’s own signature look also became iconic – a black suit with his white hair pushed into a ponytail, fingerless gloves and dark glasses.
His mother, Elizabeth, was a lingerie saleswoman while his father, Otto, was a businessman, and both encouraged him to pursue his love of clothes.
He was hired as the personal assistant to legendary French fashion designer Pierre Balmain while in his early 20s, and then produced his first haute couture collection in the late 1950s.
It was in the 1960s that international superstars such as the English actress Elizabeth Taylor began wearing his work.
Other massive fans have included Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Royals including the late Princess Diana.
Lagerfeld was never scared to innovate and even shock.
In 1993 he caused Vogue chief Anna Wintour to walk out his Milan Fashion Week show when he used strippers to promote his new Fendi line.
Lagerfeld was well known for entertaining at his lavish apartment on the Paris’s Left Bank, which he shared with the socialite Jacques de Bascher, up until his death in 1989.
The designer was the proud owner of a cat named Coupettee, whom in 2013 he said he would "gladly marry" if it were legal.
Describing his iconic look, Lagerfeld once admitted to playing a character.
He said: "I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that. It is like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long."
Bernard Arnault, the head of French fashion house LVMH, confirmed the death and said Lagerfeld had made Paris the world's fashion capital.
He said: "With the passing of Karl Lagerfeld we have lost a creative genius who helped to make Paris the fashion capital of the world and Fendi one of the most innovative Italian houses.
"Fashion and culture has lost a great inspiration."
Lagerfeld was of the most hardworking figures in the fashion world holding down the top design jobs at LVMH-owned luxury label Fendi from 1977, and Paris' family-owned power-house Chanel in 1983.
Indeed, his indefatigable energy was notable: he lost around 90 pounds in his late 60s to fit into the latest slimline fashions.
Though he spent virtually his entire career at luxury labels catering to the very wealthy including all of 20 years at Chloe Lagerfeld's designs quickly trickled down to low-end retailers, giving him an almost unprecedented impact on the entire fashion industry.
At Chanel, he served up youthful designs that were always of the moment and sent out almost infinite variations on the house's classic skirt suit, ratcheting up the hemlines or smothering it in golden chains, stings of pearls or pricey accessories. They were always delivered with wit.
He once said: "Each season, they tell me (the Chanel designs) look younger. One day we'll all turn up like babies."
His outspoken and often stinging remarks on things as diverse as French politics and celebrity waistlines won him the nickname "Kaiser Karl" in the fashion media.
Among the most acid comments included calling President Francois Hollande an "imbecile" who would be "disastrous" for France in Marie-Claire, and telling The Sun that he didn't like the face of Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge's sister.
He said: "She should only show her back."
Designer Donatella Versace today posted a photograph of herself and Lagerfeld on Instagram, writing: "Karl your genius touched the lives of so many, especially Gianni and I.
";We will never forget your incredible talent and endless inspiration. We were always learning from you."
Diane Kruger revealed she was bringing her newborn daughter to meet him in France, but admitted: "I was too late".
She wrote on social media: "Karl.....I cannot tell you how much you meant to me and how much I will miss you.
"I will never forget your kindness towards me, your laughs, your imagination. I came to France to see you this week and introduce you to my daughter...I’m heartbroken I was too late. Rest In Peace, I adore you."
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner told RTL radio: "Karl Lagerfeld is an immense personality, someone out of the ordinary."
Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Karl Lagerfeld. He has exerted an incredible influence over the fashion industry over the past six decades, and it goes without saying that the world has lost one of the greatest designers in the history of fashion. But it has also lost one of its greatest teachers."
Singer and former French first lady Carla Bruni posted on Instagram saying: "Dear Karl, thank you for all the sparkles .... thank you bringing beauty and lightness in our world, so much color in the darkness, so much wit in our dull days.
"I think you wouldn't have wished for too many tears or too many flowers but you will be missed. The whole world and I will miss you. RIP."
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