Ivan Bart dead aged 60: Hailey Bieber pays tribute to ex-IMG Models president after his death following ‘short illness’
IVAN Bart, the ex-president of IMG Models, has died after a short illness.
Tributes have poured in from A-listers including Gigi Hadid and Hailey Bieber following his death.
Mark Shapiro, the president of Endeavor, announced that Bart, 60, had died, per Women’s Wear Daily.
In an email to employees, he said: “’It is with overwhelming sadness and deep regret that I share that Ivan Bart, long-time president of IMG Models and a trailblazer in the fashion industry, passed away over the weekend,’ he wrote in an email to the company’s employees.
“During the course of three decades at IMG Models, Ivan quite literally changed the shape and face of the modeling industry from within.”
In his lengthy tribute, Shapiro described Bart as courageous and said: “He saw beauty in all its forms.”
A post on Bart’s Instagram account was captioned: “Our world has lost one of the greats. Ivan Bart, 1963-2023.”
Celebs have paid tributes to Bart following his death.
Gigi Hadid said: “Ivan. I don’t yet have words for this loss. I will never forget your spirit and hugs, your support, and [your] fight for others.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you… for everything.”
Hadid described Bart as a “legend” and ended her post, saying: “Mr. Bart. Forever ‘My Boss.’ You are so loved.”
Meanwhile, Hailey Bieber commented: “Love you Ivan.”
Model and singer Cindy Crawford said she was “sorry” to hear about Bart’s death.
Singer John Legend posted a broken heart emoji online and said: “Oh my god.”
Bart first joined IMG Models as an agent in 1994 before becoming the company’s president in 2014.
IMG signed Ashley Graham and she became the first plus-size model to appear on both British and American Vogue magazines.