Gianni Versace's famous friends: from Princess Diana to Madonna

Gianni Versace was at the top of his game when he was tragically murdered in Miami in 1997. The Italian designer had built the Versace brand into a billion-dollar behemoth and changed the fashion landscape forever, from helping to cement a pack of supermodels into fashion history to utilizing actors and rock stars in his campaigns and on runways. Through it all he was known to put his family and friends above all, doting upon his nieces and nephews and caring ferociously for his closest. Here, we look back on some of the famous faces that counted themselves among Gianni's friends and collaborators.

Princess Diana famously posed for the cover of Harper's Bazaar in a stunning Atelier Versace gown. When the royal found out about Gianni's untimely passing at age 50, she was in the South of France. Issuing a statement about her dear friend, she said, "I am devastated by the loss of a great and talented man." She attended his funeral and sat beside Elton John.

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Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and singer Bryan Ferry flanked the designer at his 1994 show in Paris. Gianni and Anna were close friends for more than a decade, and she stated in an interview following his death that, "He had enormous love for life. He adored what he did and he surrounded himself with people he loved to be with." She also described him as a marketing genius, saying, "Gianni understood the important of fashion as a global package. He was the first to introduce superstars on the runway, he was the first to bring the celebrities into the front rows, he was the first to use the rock stars and the actresses in his advertising campaigns."

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Joan Collins held hands with the gregarious designer at a Vogue party in London in 1991.

Photo: © Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock

Versace-clad models Naomi Campbell and Carla Bruni snuggled up to the sartorial icon in 1992. The trio was attending the Save the Rainforest Gala at the Grovesnor House Hotel in London.

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Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington, rocking a Versace bondage look, flanked founder Gianni in 1992. The designer is widely recognized as a catalyst for the explosive rise of the supermodels when he had Naomi, Christy, Linda Evangelista and Cindy Crawford sing along to George Michael's "Freedom" in 1991 after all starring in the music video.

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Sylvester Stallone joined Gianni Versace at the opening of his New York boutique in 1990, both wearing matching monochromatic suits. In 1995, the actor posed with Claudia Schiffer for an ad campaign in which the two were nude as Adam and Eve.

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Megawatt star and fashion collector Elizabeth Taylor was a close friend of the prolific designer, who often created custom looks for the actress - pictured here at the inauguration of his boutique in 1991.

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In 1989, Gianni and Grace Jones were photographed together at an exhibition in Paris. The avant-garde singer and multi-hyphenate was a close friend of the designer and even inspired a 2014 Atelier Versace collection featuring gowns with slinky hoods.

Photo: © Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, who passed away in 1997, was a personal friend of Gianni. Here, the two posed backstage at fall 1992 Versace Haute Couture show.

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The bon vivant posed with supermodel Claudia Schiffer in 1992 at his spring 1993 haute couture show. Twenty years after his death, Claudia joined Carla Bruni, Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Helena Christensen on the Versace runway to pay tribute to Gianni in an unforgettable fashion moment.

Photo: © Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images

Hole frontwoman Courtney Love gave the designer a smooch on the cheek in 1997 at the Versus Versace fall runway show. The singer modelled for Gianni on a number of occasions, shot by famed photographers like Richard Avedon and Bruce Weber.

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Just eight days before he was shot outside his home in Miami, Demi Moore sat front row at Gianni's couture show in Paris. Clad in a strapless pink minidress, the actress gave an audible cheer as her designer friend took what would be his final bow.

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In the '90s Madonna's name was almost synonymous with the designer's, from red carpet appearances to starring in numerous Versace campaigns, Here, at Gianni's Winter 1996 couture show, the designer bent down to kiss the pop icon after presenting his collection, who remains a regular model for the brand.

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Kylie Minogue and Gianni were close fashion friends before his untimely death. The iconic singer, dressed all in white, joined the famed designer at the opening of his London store in 1992.

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Gianni Versace and fellow designer Calvin Klein embraced backstage at the designer's October 1995 fashion show. On learning of the Italian visionary's death, Calvin said that the fashion world “has lost one of the great designers of our time.”

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