Fashion icon Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91.

The Italian designer passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday surrounded by his family.

In a statement released today, the fashion house announced his death ‘with infinite sorrow’.

Armani died just weeks ahead of a planned 50th anniversary celebration set to take place at Milan fashion week.

A company spokesperson expressed: ‘Today, with profound emotion, we sense the void left by the founder who built and guided this family with foresight, passion, and commitment.’

Until his passing, Armani served as CEO and creative director, and in his final interview last weekend, he stated: ‘My greatest weak point is being in control of everything.’

The dedicated workaholic, who was immersed in every detail of the shows, had once shared that his primary life regret was ‘spending excessive hours working and insufficient time with friends and family’.

Armani, who dressed celebrities including Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Cate Blanchett and Lady Gaga, was famous for his relaxed tailoring.

He was one of the most influential and globally famous designers of the late 20th century.

Fellow Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace said the ‘world had lost a giant today’.

Writing on Instagram, she said: ‘He made history and will be remembered forever.’ 

German actress Dianne Kruger had worn many Armani creations through the years and today paid a touching tribute. 

‘One of the nicest people and mentors I was lucky enough to meet and work with,’ she said. 

Gladiator actor Russell Crowe said he adored Armani and that he ‘was so kind’. 

The Oscar winner said he had planned to meet up with the fashion icon in Milan later this mont.

‘So many significant moments in my life, awards, wedding, Wimbledon… all in Armani,’ he wrote on X. 

‘What a life he had, from his beginnings to his glory.’

He ended his post with ‘Grazie Giorgio vivrai sempre nel mio cuore [you will always live in my heart]’.

His funeral will be private, the group said, but well-wishers can pay respects beforehand at a funeral chamber open on Saturday and Sunday in Milan.

The company announced, ‘Il Signor Armani, as employees and collaborators always regarded him with respect and admiration, passed away peacefully in the presence of his loved ones.’

‘Tireless to the last, he continued working up until his final days, devoting himself to the company, the collections, and the numerous ongoing and prospective projects,’ the company remarked.

Armani had cancelled his menswear show in Milan this year due to health reasons. He also missed the Paris Armani Prive show on doctors’ orders.

‘In 20 years of Armani Prive, it’s the first time I’m not in Paris,’ he said in a statement sent to AFP in July.

‘My doctors advised more rest, even though I felt ready.’

He added that he had ‘followed and overseen every aspect of the show remotely’, stressing: ‘I approved and signed off on everything you will see.’

The Italian icon was credited with inventing red-carpet fashion, but also moved into a younger and less expensive range through Emporio Armani, and opened luxury hotels.

Italy’s Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli led the tributes, paying homage to ‘a leading figure in Italian culture, who was able to transform elegance into a universal language’.

‘His understated and innovative style redefined the relationship between fashion, cinema, and society, leaving an indelible mark on contemporary culture,’ he said.

‘He was not only a master of fashion, but also a recognised ambassador of Italian identity around the world.’

Armani was synonymous with modern Italian style and elegance. He combined the flair of the designer with the acumen of a businessman, running a company that turned over some 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) a year.

He had been unwell for some time, and was forced to drop out of his group’s shows at Milan’s Men’s Fashion Week in June, the first time in his career that he had missed one of his catwalk events.

Known as ‘Re Giorgio’ – King Giorgio – the designer was known for overseeing every detail of his collection and every aspect of his business, from advertising to fixing models’ hair as they head out on to the runway.

A funeral chamber will be set up on Saturday and Sunday in Milan, the company said, followed by a private funeral at an unspecified date.

Armani dressed the rich and famous in classic tailored styles, fashioned in super-soft fabrics and muted tones. 

His handsome black tie outfits and glittering evening gowns often stole the show on award season red carpets.

At the time of his death, Armani had put together an empire worth over $10 billion, which along with clothing included accessories, home furnishings, perfumes, cosmetics, books, flowers and even chocolates, ranking him in the world’s top 200 billionaires, according to Forbes.

The designer also owned several bars, clubs, restaurants and his own basketball team EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, better known as Olympia Milano. 

Armani opened more than than 20 restaurants from Milan to Tokyo since 1998, and two hotels, one in Dubai in 2009 and another in Milan, in 2010.

Armani style began with Giorgio Armani himself, from the penetrating blue eyes framed in a permanent tan and early-age shock of silver hair, to the trademark jeans and t-shirt work clothes and the minimalist decoration of his private homes.

Armani’s fashion vision was that of easygoing elegance where attention to detail made the difference.

‘I design for real people. There is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothes and accessories that are not practical,’ he liked to say when asked to identify his clientele.

Born July 11, 1934, in Piacenza, a small town south of Milan, Armani dreamed of becoming a doctor before a part-time job as a window decorator in a Milan department store opened his eyes to the world of fashion.

In 1975, Armani and his partner Sergio Galeotti sold their Volkswagen for $10,000 to start up their own menswear ready-to-wear label. Womenswear followed a year later.

The symbol of his new style was the liningless sports jacket, which was launched in the late 1970s and became an instant success from Hollywood to Wall Street. 

The designer paired the jacket with a simple t-shirt, an item of clothing he termed ‘the alpha and omega of the fashion alphabet.’

The Armani suit soon became a must in the closet of the well-heeled man. And for women, the introduction of the pantsuit in the executive workroom was all but revolutionary. 

Dubbed the ‘power suit’ with its shoulder-padded jacket and man-tailored trousers, it became the trademark of the rising class of businesswomen in the 1980s.

Over the years Armani would soften the look with delicate detailing, luxurious fabrics and brighter shades for his basic beige and gray palette. His insistence on pants and jackets led some critics to label his fashion ‘androgynous.’

The 1980 film classic ‘American Gigolo’ launched both Armani and actor Richard Gere on 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.’

Oscar night always sparkled, with smart suiting for the men, and glittering gowns for the ladies. The 2009 best actor winner Sean Penn picked up his statue in a black-on-black Armani outfit, while best actress nominee Anne Hathaway walked the red carpet in a shimmering white strapless evening gown from Armani’s latest Prive couture collection.

Other longtime devotees included Jodie Foster, George Clooney, Sofia Loren and Brad Pitt. David and Victoria Beckham were the ‘face’ of his 2009 underwear ad campaign.

So significant was the impact of Armani style, not only on how people dressed but how they approached fashion, that in 2000 New York’s Guggenheim museum presented a retrospective of Armani’s first 25 years in fashion.

‘I love things that age well, things that don’t date and become living examples of the absolute best,’ Armani said of his efforts.

Today, the Armani empire has an army of more than 9,000 employees, with women comprising half of the executive suite, along with seven industrial hubs and over 600 stores worldwide, according to figures released in 2023. 

Along with clothes and accessories, the company produces perfumes, cosmetics and home furnishings, as well as selling its own candy, flowers and even books. 

The designer opened his fifth multi-brand store on New York’s fashionable Fifth Avenue in February 2009.

In the realm of fashion hobbies, Armani owned several bars, restaurants and clubs, as well as the basketball team. Recreation time was spent in getaways in Broni in the countryside near Milan, the isle of Pantelleria off Sicily and St. Tropez on the French Riviera. 

Each home bore the trademark of Armani design: bare walls, important pieces, few knickknacks.

Like many of his colleagues, Armani tried to give back some of the fame and fortune he amassed during the heyday of the ‘moda Milanese’ which put Italian ready-to-wear at the center of the world’s fashion map at the turn of the millennium. 

Personally involved in several charity organizations devoted to children and a staunch supporter of the battle against AIDS, in 2002 Armani was named a U.N. goodwill ambassador for refugees.

Galeotti died in 1985. Armani had no children but was very close to his niece Roberta, daughter of his late brother Sergio. 

She abandoned a budding film career to become his director of public relations, and often represented her uncle, who wasn’t much of a party-goer, at social events. In later years she was a key go-between with the celebrity world.

In 2006, she orchestrated the top-billed wedding of actors Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in a medieval castle outside Rome, while Uncle Giorgio designed the attire for both bride and groom.

Armani had indicated that as he considered succession he was looking toward his longtime head of menswear Leo Dell’Orco and his niece Silvana Armani, who fills the same role for womenswear.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.