Tatjana Patitz Survived by Her Son Jonah Patitz and Ex-husband Jason Johnson

With his arresting androgynous features, Tatjana Patitz’s son has taken his mom’s lead to be both highly visible as a model; yet fly under the radar in his private life.

Supermodel Tatjana Patitz had many photo shoots with two of her greatest loves, her son Jonah Johnson, and animals. Jonah is already forging his own path in the world of modeling and went to art school.

The European model was taken by breast cancer on January 11, 2023, at 56. She is survived by her 19-year-old son, with whom she has done many photo shoots for magazines since he was a boy.

Tatjana Patitz and her son Jonah Johnson attend the “J’adore Parfum d’eau” by Dior launch at Prince Charles on September 27, 2022, in Berlin, Germany. | Source: Getty Images

Tatjana Patitz’s Son also Became a Model

Patitz had a long relationship with Vogue magazine that stated in her obituary that she was “the quietest and perhaps the most intense of the original supermodels.” She was featured in the center of British Vogue’s supermodel issue in January 1990 with Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista.

Inspired by the cover that Peter Lindbergh shot, Patitz’s teenage crush George Michael booked the newly minted supermodels in his “Freedom” music video.

Lindbergh captured the model with her son Jonah for Vogue in August 2012, looking other-worldly in neutral tones while walking their dogs on a ranch. She considered the German photographer family and said as much in a thankful social media tribute.

Tatjana Patitz and Jonah Johnson attend the Tribute to Bambi 2022 at Hotel Berlin Central District on October 5, 2022, in Berlin, Germany. | Source: Getty Images

As early as 2005, the mother/son pair did a shoot on the beach in Malibu with their horse Cappy for French Elle. Born in November 2004, Jonah was raised by Patitz on a ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley, California.

Tabloids have linked her romantically with former “James Bond” star Pierce Brosnan.

Vogue called on Jonah and Patitz for the December 2019 pictorial shot by Tina Barney. According to news reports, he is embarking on a career in modeling.

Jonah is a gifted artist, as demonstrated by his illustrations shared on his mom’s socials over the years. “Jonah keep going #art #animation #14yearsold #offtoartschool #proudmama,” the model captioned an abstract artwork of his in August 2018,

The teenager accompanied his mother to her last red carpet event in October 2022 in Berlin, Germany. The duo dropped their casual Cali style for the evening in favor of black-on-black ensembles. In the final months of her life, she said:

“Jonah is my source of happiness.”

Patitz Was Married to Her Son’s Father for Six Years

The “Rising Sun” actress’s private life stayed largely out of the media by her design. Tabloids have linked her romantically with former “James Bond” star Pierce Brosnan and the late British singer and model Nick Kamen.

It is believed that Patitz was only married once to Jason Johnson, between 2003 and 2009. Nothing is publicly available about him and the extent of his involvement in their son’s life after their separation.

The model and animal activist is said to have amassed a fortune estimated at $14 million. Her final post on social media dates back to August 2022 about her dogs Matilda and Gatsby on national dog day, which she expressed to be every day.

Tatjana Patitz Did Her Last Runway in 2019, Her Career Spanned from the 90s

Patitz made her farewell walk down the runway during Milan Fashion Week in 2019 for Etro’s Autumn/Winter 2019/2020 collection. This is how Anna Wintour remembered her:

“She was far less visible than her peers – more mysterious, more grown-up, more unattainable – and that had its own appeal. “

Early in Patitz’s career, she walked for Christian Dior, and her unique look had aesthetically opposing fashion houses, Vivienne Westwood and Chanel, booking her to work with them.

It was crucial for the American Wild Horse Sanctuary ambassador that she never sold her soul. A profile on the legendary beauty likened the allure of her features to the enigmatic Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.