Franca Sozzani passes away at 66

Franca Sozzani, the Vogue Italia editor-in-chief passed away on Thursday in Milan at age 66 after a year-long illness.

The beloved editor recently received an honor at the Fashion Awards in London and was also the subject of a documentary directed by her son, Francesco Carrozzini: Franca: Chaos and Creation. She was the first recipient of The Swarovski Award for Positive Change for her philanthropic and fashion work over the years.

Sozzani was appointed editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia in 1988 and played a vital role transforming it into a powerful and influential voice in the world of fashion. She also had been Editorial Director of Conde Nast Italy since 1994.

Conde Nast International's chairman and chief executive, Jonathan Newhouse said in a statement, 'Franca was one of the greatest Editors [sic] who ever made a magazine. She was by far the most talented, influential and important person within the Conde Nast International organization. She made Italian Vogue a powerful and influential voice in the worlds of fashion and photography by publishing ground-breaking photography and journalism. In doing so she expanded Vogue beyond what had been the traditional model of a fashion magazine and often courted controversy by doing so.'

Sozzani's passing away was met with tributes from the fashion industry from Donatella Versace to Carine Roitfeld and Vanessa Friedman to Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann who took to social media to remember her impact on the industry.

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