Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani dead at 91

(TNND) — Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani, who built a multibillion-dollar fashion empire, has died, the Armani Group confirmed. He was 91.

“Il Signor Armani, as he was always respectfully and admiringly called by employees and collaborators, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones,” the fashion house said in a statement.

“In this company, we have always felt like part of a family,” the statement continued. “Today, with deep emotion, we feel the void left by the one who founded and nurtured this family with vision, passion, and dedication. But it is precisely in his spirit that we, the employees and the family members who have always worked alongside Mr. Armani, commit to protecting what he built and to carrying his company forward in his memory, with respect, responsibility, and love.”

His death comes after he missed Milan Fashion Week in June 2025 for the first time during the previews of Spring-Summer 2026 menswear to recover from an undisclosed condition.

The fashion icon was known for dressing the rich and famous and stealing the show during the award season red carpets.

The brand goes beyond clothes and accessories, including perfumes, cosmetics, home furnishings, as well as candy, flowers and even books.

The 1980 film classic “American Gigolo” launched both Armani and actor Richard Gere in their Hollywood careers. Dressed in Armani, Gere became America’s new favorite heart throb, and “Geeorgeeo” as they called him, the glam set’s most popular designer.

The Hollywood connection earned him wardrobe film credits in over 200 films, and in 2003, a place on Rodeo Drive’s “Walk of Fame.”

Armani's empire, worth over $10 billion, put him in the world's top 200 billionaires, according to Forbes.

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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.