Australia’s Next Top Model finalist Lucy Markovic has died. She was 27.
The announcement of her passing was made on Instagram through a statement. According to The New York Post, the statement on her Instagram Story said, “Dear friends and family, I regret to inform you that Lucy has passed. She was at peace. Me, her mother, and my mother were present with her. We ask you to please give us space in these hard times. May Lucy Rest in peace.”
In recent social media updates, Markovic had revealed that she was dealing with a brain arteriovenous malformation the size of a golf ball, as reported by the Australian Broadcast Corporation. Originally scheduled for emergency surgery on March 26, the procedure was later rescheduled to April 2.
Before her surgery, she took to social media to share her feelings with her fans. The outlet mentioned that she expressed being “excited, thankful, scared, supported, hopeful” as she approached her surgery.
According to Mayo Clinic, an arteriovenous malformation is a tangle of blood vessels that disrupts blood flow and keeps tissues from receiving oxygen.
The young model competed on Australia’s Next Top Model Season 9 in 2015 when she was 17 years old. She placed in second after Brittany Beattie but the show launched her career and landed her jobs posing for Versace, Givenchy, Emporio Armani and more.
Markovic’s talent agency, Elite Model Management, shared a tribute to the young model on social media.
“Lucy was a bright shining light, and had an incredible dry sense of humor. Her smile and laughter could light up a room, and draw you closer to her. She loved to dance, she really shined,” the statement read.”Modeling was one of Lucy’s dreams, and we are deeply honored to have been part of that journey with her. She brought elegance, strength, and beauty to her work. But more than that, she brought herself—her warmth, her laughter, her light.”
Australian designer Alex Perry, who was a judge on the show when Markovic competed in 2015, said Markovic “was such a beautiful girl inside and out,” per The New York Post.
“She was a joy to work with and so professional. And just at that age too, to have that life taken away from her is really devastating,” he said.
The America’s Next Top Model spinoff series premiered in 2005 and ran for 10 seasons before it was canceled in 2016.
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