Christian Audigier – the designer best known for his work with the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch labels – has passed away at the age of 57. Audigier had been battling bone cancer since 2012. Despite his illness, however, friends and co-workers say that because he remained so vibrant and ambitious in his final years, they often forgot he was sick, and his death came as something of a shock. Audigier’s friend and longtime publicist Michele Elyzabeth issued a statement reading, “I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed.” The Ed Hardy label and its signature line of t-shirts became wildly popular in the late 2000’s and early ’10s. So much so that in 2011, Audigier was able to sell the brand for $62 million and stay on as its chief designer. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Audigier began to show signs of illness. In 2012, he revealed that he was suffering from MDS, the same year that Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts was diagnosed with the disease . The years that followed held many ups and downs, and there were times when it looked as though Audigier would beat the disease. Fortunately, in addition to his iconic work in the fashion industry, Audigier leaves behind as his legacy the awareness and millions of dollars he helped raise for MDS and cancer patients. Click through the gallery below for a full list of celebrities we’ve lost in 2015 : View Slideshow: Celebrities We Lost in 2015
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Christian Audigier Dies; Ed Hardy Designer Was 57
