Drugs, violence, murder: the tragic fates of iconic supermodels

Catwalk and cover stars often pay too high a price for their popularity. Some do not cope with public pressure, others become victims of addictions, and the circumstances of the death of others remain a mystery at all. We tell you about the most famous supermodels whose lives ended too soon.

Success stories often hide a tragic struggle. Famous supermodels are constantly under pressure from society, they struggle with their inner demons and do not always overcome them. Murders, overdoses and suicide under unclear circumstances-we tell about the most famous tragedies that happened to cult supermodels.

Karanji is one of the most iconic models of the last century. Her tragic fate formed the basis of the 1998 film "Gia" starring Angelina Jolie, and industry insiders know that the girl was a supermodel of the 70s and 80s even before this term came into wide circulation. Gia has appeared on the covers of Cosmopolitan and Vogue magazines in America, Great Britain, France and Italy. And her first major modeling collaboration took place with the Versace brand when the girl was 18 years old.

Her melancholic Italian beauty contrasted sharply with the then generally accepted types of blonde, blue-eyed models. The girl's career took off instantly: her amazing ability to transform into anyone immediately made her the most popular model in the United States. Within a year, she became a prominent social figure in New York, a star of parties at Studio 54 and a favorite of rockers, members of the royal family, tycoons and movie stars.

At the heart of her tragedy was loneliness: even at the peak of her fame, Gia was left alone most of the time. Almost all of her friends belonged to the fashion and beauty industry. A complex busy schedule did not allow Karanji to do other things. At the end of the shooting day, she often returned to her deserted New York apartment and felt completely alone. With a trifle, she joined drugs. In the same period, her close mentor, the famous owner of the modeling agency Wilhelmina Cooper, who gave a start to the girl's career, died. Gia could not cope with her grief and switched to heavy drugs.

In 1981, Karanji was arrested for drunk driving. When she turned 21, Gia needed surgery on her arm due to constant injections and spreading infections. Just two years later, Karanji's career began to fall apart. Her mood was constantly changing, she could forget about shooting or fall asleep while working. Drug use did not allow her to work at full capacity, and she lost the lion's share of contracts. And soon rumors leaked out that she might be HIV-infected.

After pressure from her family, she still went to rehabilitation. However, the girl said that she did not have a penny to go for treatment under the social security program. When Karanji completed her treatment six months later, she returned to drugs again, and in even greater volumes. A year later, she was admitted to the hospital: she was sleeping outside in the rain, bruises on her body indicated that she had been beaten and raped, and the symptoms were similar to pneumonia.

However, blood tests showed that she had an AIDS-associated complex (ARC), a precursor to AIDS. On November 18, 1986, at the age of 26, Gia Karanji died, and the reasons for her death were hidden from the general public for a long time. And in 1998, director Michael Christopher shot the film "Gia", dedicated to the cult supermodel.

Margot Louis Hemingway is a famous American model of the 70s and the granddaughter of the cult writer Ernest Hemingway. The girl's dizzying career began at the age of 19, when she moved to New York. The slender blonde quickly climbed the career ladder, received impressive fees, released the famous Farberge perfume and became the first model in history to sign a million-dollar contract.

Moreover, the catalyst for success was not only the writing career of her grandfather — Margot was distinguished by hard work, natural charm, ease and impeccable manners. She starred for Elle, Vogue Cosmopolitan and Time magazines, and after a while decided to try herself in movies. The girl starred in the film "Lipstick" in 1976. However, the critics took the role of Margot rather skeptically, but they noticed her younger sister Meriel Hemingway.

Later, Margot took part in several films, but these works did not bring her success. At the same time, her sister Meriel began to come to the fore, whom the audience and film critics received much more warmly than Margot.

Rivalry with her sister and fading fame led to a prolonged depression, which she tried to drown out by taking drugs, alcohol and sedatives. On July 1, 1996, Margot Hemingway committed suicide — her body was discovered by her close friend.

The girl's family did not believe in the official version of the investigation, believing that the cause of the tragedy could be an accident. The police did not find any suicide notes, so the true motives and circumstances of Margot's death still remain a mystery.

Russian supermodel Ruslana Korshunova was called "Russian Rapunzel" — the girl conquered the fashion world with her blonde hair and deep gray eyes. She worked with the most famous designers and regularly starred for the largest glossy magazines, and also became the face of the Nina Ricci fragrance.

The life of a 20-year-old girl suddenly ended in 2008. On June 28, the catwalk star jumped out of the window of her apartment, located on the ninth floor of one of the skyscrapers in Manhattan. Her death was ruled a suicide, but close models did not believe in the official version. As it became known later, three months before her tragic death, she attended sessions of the Rose of the World training center.

Employees of the Investigative Committee conducted a check, but they did not find any significant evidence of the center's involvement. In addition, the girl did not leave a suicide note, and too little evidence did not allow investigators to claim that the cause of Korshunova's death was suicide. However, the training center still closed due to a bad reputation after the death of the star.

In 1978, the future star Dorothy Stratten was selling ice cream at the Dairy Queen restaurant in a poor area of Vancouver, when fate brought her together with photographer Paul Snyder. Dorothy's beauty immediately attracted a man who, according to reports, was working as a pimp at the time.

He saw in the girl the prospect of his own career rise and enrichment. Paul began to take care of Stratten soon convinced her to shoot in the nude style, which could help her start a career in Los Angeles (although at that time the girl was not yet 18 years old). After that, Snyder insisted on marrying a promising star and actually lived at her expense, while the girl received lucrative contracts.

Dorothy's career really took off: she got one of the main roles in Peter Bogdanovich's film "They All Laughed", released in 1981, after her death. On the set, Dorothy began an affair with the director.

Dorothy's career was cut short instantly. On August 14, 1980, Stratten went to Snyder's house to ask for a divorce. Paul raped and shot a 20-year-old girl, then committed suicide.

Dorothy Stratten in "They All Laughed"

Her tragic fate formed the basis of two films: the TV movie " The Story of Dorothy Stratten "(1981) and the drama" Star-80 " (1983). In addition, the model is mentioned in the Red Hot Chili Peppers song " Californication "in the line about the first-born unicorn — a reference to the book by Peter Bogdanovich" To Kill a unicorn", dedicated to the deceased model.