Innovative Fashion Icon & Activist Vivienne Westwood Dies At 81

Dame Vivienne Westwood, the trailblazing fashion designer, has died.

Westwood's passing was announced via statement and shared on her official Twitter account on Thursday afternoon.

The tweet reads, "Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London. The world needs people like Vivienne to make a change for the better."

The tweet was also accompanied by a statement featuring Westwood's signature, and a quote attributed to the fashion icon.

"Tao spiritual system. There was never more need for the Tao today. Tao gives you a feeling that you belong to the cosmos, and gives purpose to your life; it gives you such a sense of identity and strength to know you're living the life you can live and therefore ought to be living: make full use of your character and full use of your life on Earth."

The statement concludes with "Vivienne, we love you."

Celebrity reactions began pouring in on Twitter following the announcement of Westwood's death.

Rapper YUNGBLUD tweeted a photo of Westwood along with a tribute. "you gave me the courage to express myself. you were the reason i left the house with the confidence to look the way i did. heartbroken. thankyou for everythin, viv. RIP."

Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go's tweeted, "time is catching up, taking so many of our visionaries. it's hard isn't it?"

Blondie drummer Clem Burke also tweeted a link announcing Westwood's death. Blondie is one of the early pioneer bands of the punk rock scene in which Westwood played a vital part.

Original Sex Pistols bassist and touring member of Blondie, Glen Matlock, tweeted, "I have just heard the sad news about a one off, single minded, talented lady. A privilege to have rubbed shoulders in the mid-'70s at the birth of punk and the waves it created that still resound today for the disaffected. My thoughts are with her friends and family."

Influencer and popular culture commentator Tefi tweeted, "there's no f-king way vivienne westwood died I can't breathe."

Culture Club's Boy George tweeted, "R.I.P. to the great and inspiring Vivienne Westwood who lead us through punk and beyond. Laughed at by the fashion industry but without question she is the undisputed Queen of British fashion. Oh bondage up yours!"

The tributes from many punk and new wave musicians are proof of Westwood's legacy in helping craft the DIY look and ethos of punk rock.

Westwood was married to musician, songwriter, and vital piece of the punk rock puzzle, Malcolm McLaren. The couple would open the legendary SEX boutique in the mid-seventies, which became a go-to spot for the fashion of the era during its two years of operation from 1974 until '76.

The personal element that can exist in fashion was a vital part of Westwood's inspiration. According to Pitchfork, Westwood told The Guardian 11 years ago, "If you invest in art, if you study yourself, you become a freedom fighter immediately because your life changes, you get off the consumer treadmill, and you start thinking. My thing as a fashion designer [is] I say 'buy less clothes' Keep wearing things that you've really chosen that you really love. That is status. It's not that you have to keep consuming. A status symbol is a book."

Westwood was born on April 8th, 1941, in Tintwistle, United Kingdom.