Ed Hardy Designer Dead At 57: Christian Audigier Dies After Battle With MDS

Ed Hardy head designer, Christian Audigier, reportedly died Thursday at the age of 57. He had been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in January.

LATF broke the news Thursday that Audigier had passed away. The designer’s publicist, Michele Elyzabeth, released the following statement to the publication:

“I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed.”

MDS, the same cancer that Robin Roberts was diagnosed with in 2012, is a disease that affects the bone marrow and blood. Those with MDS cannot produce enough mature blood cells. MDS-Foundation.org notes that it is a “gradual process” and “not necessarily a terminal disease.” However, the side effects reduce the patient’s “ability to fight infections and control bleeding.”

According to TMZ, Audigier was undergoing chemotherapy until he received a bone marrow transplant in March. In April he told reporters outside of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles that he was cancer free.

Audigier was born in Avignon, France, on May 21, 1958. At an early age he started designing jeans, and went on to work with several brands – including Diesel, Guess, Levi’s, Bisou Bisou and Von Dutch. In 2004 he launched the Ed Hardy brand, which featured exclusive rights to designs from legendary tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. His other brands include Christian Audigier, Rock Fabulous and Crystal Rock, among many others.