Respect The Architects: R.I.P. Alexander McQueen.

"The British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead at the age of 40 in his London home.

His body was discovered at the property in Green Street, central London, shortly after 10am today. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene. A postmortem has been scheduled but police said his death was not being treated as suspicious. They would not comment on reports he had killed himself.

A spokeswoman for McQueen said: "Mr McQueen was found dead this morning at his home. We're devastated and I hope you understand that out of respect to his family and his colleagues we're not going to be making any further statement."

The death comes days before the start of London fashion week and a month before the designer was to unveil his new collection at Paris fashion week.

His family asked for privacy to come to terms with the death of McQueen, whose first name was Lee.

His company, Alexander McQueen, issued a statement saying: "On behalf of Lee McQueen's family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand, has been found dead at his home. At this stage it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee's family."

"Lee's family has asked for privacy in order to come to terms with this terrible news and we hope the media will respect this."

Tributes quickly poured in after news of McQueen's sudden death.

Alexandra Shulman, the editor of British Vogue, said McQueen had influenced a whole generation of designers. "His brilliant imagination knew no bounds as he conjured up collection after collection of extraordinary designs," she said. "At one level he was a master of the fantastic, creating astounding fashion shows that mixed design, technology and performance and on another he was a modern-day genius whose gothic aesthetic was adopted by women the world over. His death is the hugest loss to anyone who knew him and for very many who didn't."

The designer Katherine Hamnett said: "He was a genius. What a terrible, tragic waste."

Dame Vivienne Westwood said she was "incredibly sorry" to hear the news.

Matthew Williamson said: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by McQueen's death. He was a genius and his talent was second to none. Like many others I always cited him as a hugely inspirational leader of world fashion. He will be greatly missed."

A spokesman for the model Kate Moss said: "Kate is shocked and devastated at the tragic loss of her dear friend Lee McQueen. Her thoughts are with his family at this sad time."

Read The Full Article Here: GuardianUK.Com

CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: As the preferred online destination of both urban and urbane tastemakers in the "know", @ it's best, I endeavor to make Livestyle a force of culture that is a worthwhile information hub for all whom visit this site. As my brother Niketown would say, I like to mix the "medicine" in with the "food" and along with your standard music video fair, regularly provide Y.O.U. with a comprehensive world view not found on any other Hip Hop blog - sure, other bloggers regurgitate fashion trends, but none are as dope boy fresh "Heroin Chic" and street as me. That being the case, when my Twitter timeline lit up this morning with news of the death of the "master of the fantastic", the genius Alexander McQueen, although I rarely, if ever, lead with death notices, I knew that I had to open with this story.

Reports abound that his untimely death @ the young age of 40 was indeed a suicide, however, I can neither confirm nor deny such assumptions, nor would I care to. No, I would much rather focus on his accomplishments and his great importance to the world of high end fashion as a champion of fearless innovation. Aside from the homie Curt@!n$ (and possibly a handful of other aesthetically astute rappers), the name "Alexander McQueen" never did receive the nouveau riche name droppery necessary for most casual fans to notice him (NOTE: I mean, he DID recently do a crazy collabo with Puma for an über exclusive sneaker collection, but ... how many people really know that? LOL.). Nevertheless, for those of us that pride ourselves on our MENSA-like high Fly.Q's, the name "Alexander McQueen" rings more bells than a blind pizza delivery man stuck in an apartment complex lobby.

Born March 16, 1969 in the town of Lewisham, London, this fellow Piscean left school @ the tender age of 16 to work apprenticeships @ prestigious Savile Row tailors Anderson and Shephard, and then @ the neighboring firm of Gieves and Hawkes. As his star rose, he came into his own and, in 10 short years, became chief designer @ the celebrated French fashion house Givenchy in 1996 where he stayed, reinvigorating the label until 2001. Not to be outdone, Mr. McQueen pulled double duty also running his own flourishing eponymous empire. Chances are that Y.O.U. are more familiar with this man's contributions to fashion than even Y.O.U. might ever imagine. He introduced the rebellious "skull" motif AND "plumber butt" low-rise jeans looks to the world of ready-to-wear that, no thanks to "biters" have become painfully ubiquitous, but where originally cutting edge offerings from this brilliant artist who won British Fashion Designer Of The Year award a staggering 4 times. Additionally, his seasonal haute-couture shows were dramatic theatrical displays of extreme silhouettes and meticulous tailoring all vividly brought to life on celebrity and socialite lined catwalks across the globe. Yup, Madonna, Bjork, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and fashion editors all agree: Alexander McQueen was crazy nice with his son!

Sadly, Alexander McQueen's mother died only weeks ago and, so, my sincerest thoughts and prayers especially go out to the entire McQueen family as they now must face double the loss. Recognize and realize this man's incomparable talent (NOTE: And watch prices for his collections skyrocket on eBay). R.I.P. Lee Alexander McQueen.