Celebs pay tributes to Giorgio Armani

Italian fashion luminary Giorgio Armani, whose style transcended celebrity glamour, refined sartorial aesthetics, and cultural influence, died peacefully at his home in Milan on Thursday, aged 91. Celebrated for revolutionising modern elegance through relaxed tailoring and minimalist luxury, Armani built a world-class fashion empire while remaining fiercely independent and creatively hands-on.

Tributes poured in from icons across industries — Penélope Cruz, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mira Sorvino, David Beckham, Ralph Lauren, Morgan Freeman, Charles Leclerc, Victoria Beckham, and Russell Crowe among them — underscoring his profound personal and cultural impact. Beyond the runway, his creations found life in some of cinema’s most stylish moments, dressing characters in films like The Wolf of Wall Street, The Untouchables and Goodfellas, helping define the visual language of power and allure. “Maestro, you did it your way and maybe that’s why you are so loved by so many. I’m so honored to have been able to spend time with you. Your generosity and kindness touched me so much and you will be forever in my heart. I wish you great freedom and happiness, wrote actress Pene´lope Cruz on her social handle.

Julia Roberts posted, “A true friend. A Legend,” adding a broken heart emoji, on Instagram.

Soccer icon David Beckham posted a story along with a photo with Armani writing, “A very sad day as we say goodbye to a very special man… Kind, generous, humble & a true gentleman… Giorgio Armani One of a kind.”

“I have always had the deepest respect and admiration for Giorgio Armani, not only as a designer who never strayed from his vision, but as a man who loved his family and friends, and his homeland in such a special way. Though he was an icon of the world of fashion, he lived with great humility and a love of living that inspired the way he worked and the way he lived. He created a world reflecting all the things he loved with a foreverness that will be his legacy,” wrote the American designer Ralph Lauren in a statement.

Mira Sorvino shared, “I still can’t believe it. I mean, I was just told like 20 minutes ago that he had passed and I did not even know he was in ill health. And I did not think of him as that old, you know. For me, he was like eternal — this brilliant, kind man who was so talented and created this whole kind of sophisticated, understated glamour that really defined the ‘90s in a way. And he discovered me at the Venice Film Festival when Mighty Aphrodite premiered there and asked if he could dress me. And he started dressing me then.

“I wore his beautiful designs to most of my most important moments in my career and in my personal life. ... I will really miss him and I think the world will miss him.” The actor also recounted how Armani made her a retro-glam Oscar dress and her wedding dress.

“Mr Armani was such a visionary. Family is very important to him. His friends were very important to him. He was such an incredible artist. And his legacy will go on and on, through the beautiful thing he’s created.” said actor Jessica Chastain, in an interview, recounting that she met her husband Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo at an Armani fashion show in Paris in 2012.

A public funeral chamber for Giorgio Armani will be held at the Armani/Teatro (Via Bergognone 59) in Milan on Saturday and Sunday.