July 10--French-born fashion entrepreneur Christian Audigier, who built internationally famous brands on tattoo and motorcycle vibes, died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to the hospital. He was 57.
Audigier was being treated for cancer, said his former publicist, Michele Elyzabeth.
In the 2000s Audigier made connections with celebrities -- including Madonna, Britney Spears and Nicole Kidman -- to popularize the Ed Hardy and Von Dutch lines that featured trucker hats and T-shirts emblazoned with tattoo-influenced motifs that included skulls and floating eyeballs.
"He was a great marketer," said Ilse Metchek, president of the California Fashion Assn. "He was a larger-than-life figure, very flamboyant."
In particular, he put Ed Hardy graphic designs on a wide array of products far beyond clothing, such as perfume, sunglasses, barware, bedding, wine, even toothbrushes and dental floss.
A full obituary will appear later at latimes.com/obits.
