British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found hanging dead in his apartment, just days before the start of London Fashion Week. He was just 40 years old.

While it has not been officially confirmed, it seems clear that the designer’s death was a suicide. Messages posted on his Twitter account reveal he was suffering intense grief following the death of his mother last week.

He leaves us with a legacy of stunning couture and ready-to-wear fashions. A true style visionary, McQueen was never afraid to take risks whether dressing models on the catwalk or Hollywood’s elite on the red carpet.

Gone far too soon, he will be missed.