Barbara Mary Quant was born in London, England. From a young age, she was prone to fashion, making her own clothes in her style. After graduating from Blackheath High School, she wanted to study fashion, but her parents disapproved, so instead, Quant studied illustration and art education at Goldsmiths College, receiving her degree in 1953. That year, she met her future husband and business partner, Alexander Plunket Greene. After school, Quant apprenticed couture milliner and began to design and manufacture clothes. In 1955, at 25, she opened her first boutique, Bazaar, on Kings Road, and two years later, she opened her second Bazaar store in Knightsbridge. Within a few years, her bold clothing style caught the attention of both buyers and the media, and in 1962 an American manufacturer purchased some of her dress designs, expanding her brand in Europe and the US. In her designs, Quant broke the standard styles of the time. She withdrew from the post-war practical clothing and used youth as inspiration, creating mature and sexier versions of the dancing wear of girls, with short pleated skirts, white anklets, and ankle-strap shoes. Although she didn’t invent the silhouette, Quant is best associated with the miniskirt, which she improved and popularized with her designs, wanting to make women clothing less restrictive, allowing them freedom of movement and the feeling of empowerment and liberation. Her version of the short shorts, or hotpants, also became a sensation and was recognized as a British fashion icon. Her uniqueness and innovation were not only in her designs but also in how she sold them. In her boutiques, Quant played music and offered drinks so people would come and hang out there for hours as if it was a club. Another way she differed herself from the standard department stores and the inaccessible high-class designer stores was by the boutiques’ window displays, placing models in quirky poses, drawing the pass-byers’ attention. In 1966, at 36, Quant launched Mary Quants Cosmetics, introducing the “paintbox” – a ready-to-use makeup pallet. A few years later, she expanded into household goods and interior and textile design, claiming to invent the duvet. In 2000, at 70, Quant resigned as director of Mary Quant Ltd, and the company was moved under her Japanese licensees’ ownership that has been running it ever since. In her later years, she resided in Surrey. She died at the age of 93. Read more...

Naomi Elaine Campbell was born in London, England. Until age two, she lived in Rome, where her mother worked as a dancer. Then, she returned to live with relatives in London while her mother toured with her dancing company. At the age of three, she began attending the Barbara Speake Stage School, and at 10, she enrolled in the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts to study ballet. In 1986, while window-shopping in Covent Garden, Campbell was scouted by the head of the Synchro Model Agency, making her first cover shoot for Elle magazine a month before her 16th birthday. From that on, her career took off, walking the runway for top designers, such as Gianni Versace and Isaac Mizrahi, and working with A-list photographers, including Bruce Weber and Peter Lindbergh. Within only a few years, alongside Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington, Campbell formed the Trinity trio, which marked the beginning of the supermodels’ era. As one of the most recognizable and sought-after models, Campbell often broke the color barrier and made history as the first black cover girl in several magazines, including British Vogue (1987), French Vogue (1988), American Vogue (1989), and Time (1991). In the mid-1990s, Campbell began to branch out of modeling. In 1994, she published her first book, a novel titled Swan, released an album called Baby Woman, had various roles in films and TV shows, and in 1999, at 29, she signed with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics and launched her first signature fragrance. Over the following decades, Campbell continued to model both on the runway and for magazines and advertising campaigns for brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Victoria’s Secret, and Louis Vuitton. She also developed her TV persona, serving as a coach and judge for the modeling competition The Face and as a recurring character in the drama Empire and American Horror Story: Hotel. Despite her supermodel status and being the most famous black model of her time, Campbell encountered bias in the fashion industry and didn’t receive as many campaigns as her white colleagues. Throughout her career, she was outspoken about the subject, and in 2013, together with fellow black models Bethann Hardison and Iman, she established the Diversity Coalition. In addition to fighting against racism and discrimination, Campbell has been using her fame to advocate for many causes. She is involved with various non-profit organizations, from the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund to the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer. In 2005, she founded the organization We Love Brazil to fight poverty in Brazil. That same year she established Fashion for Relief, which organizes fund-raising fashion shows for the victims of humanitarian crises such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the earthquake in Japan in 2011, and the 2017 Syrian refugee crisis. She also serves as the honorary president of Athla Onlus, which works for the social integration of people with learning disabilities in Italy, and as a goodwill ambassador for the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood. Read more...

Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel was born in Saumur, Maine-et-Loire, France. She grew up poor, and at 11, after her mother died, she and two of her sisters were sent to an orphanage. There, she learned to sew, a skill that would serve her later in life. At 18, she started working as a seamstress while trying to launch a career as a singer, performing in cabaret shows. During this time, she received the nickname, Coco. At 23, she began a relationship with Etienne Balsan, who introduced her to the “rich life” and high society circles. She began working as a milliner and hat designer at the time. Two years later, she left Balsan for one of his friends, Arthur “Boy” Capel, who encouraged her to cultivate her talent and passion, and financed her first millinery shop at 21 rue Cambon, Paris, which opened in 1910. Two years later, she opened a boutique in Deauville, where, in addition to hats, she sold simple sportswear made of jersey, a fabric that until then was used to make men’s underwear. Her revolutionary clothing drew the attention of several well-known actresses, who helped build her reputation. In 1915, at 32, Chanel opened her first Couture House in Biarritz and launched her first Haute Couture collection. The following year, she paid Capel back his original investment, made only three years before. In 1918, she purchased a building in 31 rue Cambon, Paris, and set up her Couture House as well as a boutique, workshop, and several salons. By then, Chanel was a popular figure in the Parisian art world and designed costumes for the Ballets Russes. Under the agenda that “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury,” Chanel’s designs were always simple, comfortable, and yet luxurious, and by that, she revolutionized the fashion industry. In 1921, Chanel collaborated with the perfumer Ernst Beaux and launched her signature scent, Chanel No. 5 – the first designer perfume. She manufactured and distributed the fragrance with the help of Pierre Wertheimer of the Bourjois cosmetics company and Théophile Bader of the Galeries Lafayette department store in a controversial deal that left her with only 10% of the profits. She continued to expand the Chanel brand, adding a makeup collection in 1924 and introducing the Chanel collarless skirt suit and the iconic little black dress in the next couple of years. Her designs changed the face of fashion by removing the traditional corsets and confining garments and borrowing men’s wear elements. In the early 1930s, she was invited to Hollywood to design costumes for various films and soon became the private designer of A-list actresses such as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. During WW2, Chanel lived in the Hotel Ritz in Paris and became associated with a Nazi military officer. This connection tainted her reputation, and she closed her business for the next 15 years. In 1954, at 71, she reopened her Couture House and introduced several new styles, such as the bell-bottomed pants and the braided cardigan jacket, maintaining her agenda of a clean, classic luxurious look. Although she received harsh reviews, the shoppers thought otherwise, and her clothing returned to be a must-have in every fashionista’s closet. In the next two decades, Chanel continued to design new and innovative clothes, fragrances, and accessories, including bags, watches, and jewelry. She kept on running her brand until she died at the age of 88. Read more...

Diana Frances Spencer was born at Park House near Sandringham, England, to an aristocratic family. For several generations, her family was close to the British royal family, and as a child, she used to play with Queen Elizabeth II’s sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. At 7, her parents divorced, and she lived with her father. In her early years, Diana was home-schooled, and later she attended Silfield Private School and then the Riddlesworth Hall School for girls and West Heath Girls’ School. At 16, she studied a semester at the Institut Alpin Videmanette in Switzerland. On her return to England, she settled in London, working in various low-paying jobs, including a dance instructor, nanny, kindergarten assistant, cleaning lady, and a hostess at parties. In 1977, 17 years old Diana met 29 years old Charles, Prince of Wales, who was dating her older sister at the time. A few months later, they began dating. Their relationship got the approval of the royal family as well as the public, who adored her beauty, shy demeanor, and fashion style. They got engaged in early 1981, and on July 29th, 1981, they married in St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was a fairy tale wedding broadcasted and viewed by hundreds of millions worldwide. After the wedding, now with the title of Princess of Wales, Diana took on herself a wide range of royal duties. She went with The Prince of Wales on various royal tours, became a patron of more than 100 charities, and used her fame and the attention of the press to aid and promote causes that were closed to her heart, such as cancer, homelessness, and AIDS. She also channeled her fashionista statues to increase the profile of British designers. In 1982, at the age of 21, Diana had her first child, Prince William, followed by Prince Harry two years later. She wanted her sons to know the world outside the palace, and she often brought them with her on visits to hospitals, orphanages, and homeless shelters. She also took them on public transportation and to eat at fast-food restaurants. Diana became known as the People’s Princess for her compassion, accessibility, and personal warmth. From the beginning, her marriage to Prince Charles suffered many difficulties and infidelities on both sides, and throughout the years, the couple became estranged. During this time, she struggled with postnatal depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and the pressure of being chased constantly by the media, especially the paparazzi. By the early 90s, it became apparent that the royal couple was no longer together, and in 1992 they formally separated. The divorce got finalized in 1996. Despite losing the title of “Her Royal Highness,” the public still refers to her as a princess. After the divorce, Diana resigned from most of her patronages but maintained a public figure and continued the philanthropic and charity work. She served as an International Red Cross VIP volunteer and led a high-profile campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of leftover landmines in Angola. In 1997, Diana began a public relationship with the Egyptian heir Dodi Fayed. While attempting to escape a trail of paparazzi that followed them on the streets of Paris, Diana, Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul, had been killed in a car accident. She was 36 years old. Read more...

Waris Dirie was born near Galkayo, Somalia, one of twelve children in a nomadic herdsmen family. When she was five years old, she and two of her sisters underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) – female circumcision, a common practice in her tribal tradition. Growing up, she looked after the family’s herd, and by the age of 6, Dirie was responsible for taking about 60 goats and sheep to graze in the desert. At 13, her father had announced that she would marry a 60 years old man who traded her for five camels. Backed up by her mother, she managed to escape from her home. After a long and dangerous journey through the desert, she arrived at relatives in Mogadishu and from there to London, where she worked as a maid for her uncle, who was the Somali ambassador to the United Kingdom. When the uncle’s term ended, Dirie rented a room at the YMCA, earned her living as a cleaner in McDonald’s, and took English classes in the evenings. In 1983, at 18, she was spotted by the photographer Mike Goss who asked to take a picture of her. Soon after, she began to receive offers from casting agents. In 1987, 22 years old Dirie had her first big modeling job with the renowned fashion photographer Terence Donovan for the Pirelli Calendar. Afterward, her career took off with advertisements for Chanel, Revlon, and Levi’s, runway shows in New York, Milan, and Paris, and appearances in the top fashion magazines, including Vogue, Elle, and Glamour. In 1997, aged 32, at the pick of her modeling career, Dirie had an interview for Marie Claire magazine, in which she spoke for the first time about the FGM she had as a child. Following her brave testimony, she got nominated as a UN Special Ambassador against female genital mutilation. In this position, she traveled around the world, giving speeches on the subject of FGM, raising the global awareness of the act, and promoting her mission to prevent future generations of girls and women from suffering as she did. At the time, the World Health Organization estimated that more than 130 million women had undergone FGM, and in Somalia, Dirie’s homeland, 98% of the women had the procedure. In 1998, Dirie published her autobiography Desert Flower, in which she details her story as an FGM victim and her journey from a child bride in Somalia to a supermodel in the UK. The book became a bestseller, sold more than a million copies worldwide, and was adapted into a film and a musical. In the early 2000s, Dirie retired from modeling to dedicate her time to activism. In 2001, she founded the Desert Dawn Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises funds for clinics and schools in Somalia. The following year, she established the Waris Dirie Foundation that focused on abolishing FGM. In 2009, she co-founded the PPR Foundation for Women’s Dignity and Rights, and in 2013, she opened in Berlin the first holistic medical center in the world for the treatment and care of FGM victims, followed by other centers in Amsterdam, Stockholm, and Paris. Dirie continues to advocate for the cause, giving speeches in front of world leaders around the world urging them to take action against FGM that is still happening in many cultures around the globe. Read more...

Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone was born in Metropolis, Illinois, the tenth of eleven children of formerly enslaved parents. Her parents died when she was young, and she moved to nearby Peoria to live with her sister. There, she attended high school and developed an interest in chemistry. She was also fascinated with hair, often styling her sister’s hair and becoming aware of the differences between hair textures. These days, women used soap, heavy oils, goose fat, and bacon grease to straighten curly hair, which irritated the scalp and damaged the hair. Combining her love of hair and chemistry, she began experimenting on herself, developing a hair product that straightened black hair with no side effects. In 1900, at the age of 31, Turnbo moved to Lovejoy (today Brooklyn, Illinois) and began manufacturing a line of hair straightener products, including a hair-stimulant for African-American women, “Wonderful Hair Grower.” Her target customers were black women who could not access traditional distribution places, so Turnbo promoted her products by going door-to-door and offering free demonstrations. After achieving success in the local market, she wanted to expand her clientele and moved to St. Louis, MO, where she hired three employees who continued her door-to-door method. Soon after, she opened her first shop. Turnbo held news conferences and went on tours throughout the South to promote her products, giving demonstrations and recruiting women as local sales agents. By 1910, she broadened her line to include cosmetics, and under the label Poro, she manufactured lipstick, shades, cold cream, face powder, and her famous hair grower. In 1914, at the age of 45, Turnbo married her second husband, Aaron Eugene Malone, and appointed him as the company’s chief manager and president. In 1918, she founded a cosmetology school called Poro College. The college curriculum included classes on nurturing and styling black hair as well as personal coaching on how to walk, talk, and dress as a “Poro agent.” The college building had a retail store, manufacturing plant, auditorium, offices, chapel, gymnasium, and dormitory. It served as a community center and a meeting place for organizations such as the National Negro Business League. The center became a source of employment for many African Americans, especially women. Through the school and the Poro franchise, Turnbo’s business employed almost 75,000 women in the US, South America, Africa, and the Philippines. By the 1920s, Turnbo became one of the wealthiest African American women, with an estimated worth of $14 million. Despite her wealth, she lived modestly, donating thousands of dollars to various establishments, such as the local black YMCA, the Tuskegee Institute, and the Howard University College of Medicine, in addition to supporting two students in every black land-grant college in the US. In 1927, at the age of 58, Turnbo divorced her husband. He forced her into a court battle in which he demanded half of its value as the company’s president. She reached a settlement that affirmed her as the business’s sole owner but harmed the business’s financial worth. Three years later, she relocated her business to Chicago to a city block she bought. During the 40s-50s, she spent much of her time fighting lawsuits in court, first from a former employee who claimed credit for her success and then from the government for unpaid taxes. Eventually, she had to sell most of her properties to pay her debts. Afterward, the business continued to operate but on a significantly smaller scale. Turnbo continued to run her business until she died of a stroke at the age of 87. Read more...

María Carolina Josefina Pacanins y Niño was born in Caracas, Venezuela to a high class and wealthy family. In 1957, at age 18, she married Guillermo Behrens Tello and had two daughters. They divorced after seven years, and she returned to live with her parents. In 1964, at the age of 25, she began to work as a publicist at the Caracas boutique of the Italian fashion designer Emilio Pucci. In 1968, she married Reinaldo Herrera Guevara, a TV morning news host and the 5th Marquis of Torre Casa. The couple had a lavish lifestyle, traveling around the world and spending time with royals and artists, such as Princess Margaret, Andy Warhol, and Mick and Bianca Jagger. Herrera became known for her dramatic style and fashion choices and regularly appeared on the Best Dressed lists. In 1980, Herrera moved with her family to NYC. Encouraged by her friend and Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Diana Vreeland, Herrera began to design clothes, presenting 20 dresses at a friends’ apartment. In the following year, at the age of 42, Herrera debuted her first collection at the Manhattan’s Metropolitan Club, introducing the world the padded shoulders and big elaborate sleeves, which became the trademark of the 1980s fashion. Her designs were popular, and buyers wanted to purchase her entire line. Within a few months, she opened a showroom, and her designs were famous for their glamorous and sophisticated style. In 1986, Herrera’s success turned global after designing the wedding dress for Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s daughter. Herrera expanded her brand, and in addition to custom-made dresses, she offered a ready-to-wear line and bridal wear. In 1988, Herrera launched her first perfume, followed by eyewear and accessory lines. In 1995, at 56, she sold her label, remaining as the creative director of the “Herrera” group. In this position, she introduced the CH Carolina Herrera brand and opened the group’s first store in NYC, soon branching abroad. By 2012 there were 18 Carolina Herrera boutiques worldwide, selling the brand in 280 stores in more than 100 countries. In 2018, at the age of 79, Herrera stepped down as creative director and took on the role of global brand ambassador. Read more...

Born Edith Claire Posener in San Bernardino, California. Her parents got divorced, and she grew up in Searchlight, Nevada, and Los Angeles, California. Head studied French at the University of California at Berkeley and then romance languages at Stanford University. At 23, she worked as a French teacher at the Hollywood School for Girls. To earn a higher salary, she took another position at the school as an art teacher. Having no formal education in arts, she took evening drawing lessons at the Chouinard Art College and Otis Art Institute. In 1923, at the age of 26, she married Charles Head, and though the marriage did not last long, she kept using Head as her surname. At 27, Head was hired by Paramount Pictures as a sketch artist for silent films. Her first design appeared in 1925 in the movie The Wanderer. She worked her way up, and within a few years, she became one of the leading costume designers in Hollywood. In 1938, at the age of 41, Head was appointed chief designer at Paramount pictures, becoming the first woman to head the design department of a major studio. During the 1940s, Head gained public attention after designing Ginger Rogers’s top mink-lined gown in the film Lady in the Dark. In 1950, after winning her first Academy Award for The Heiress, Head became the most wanted and successful custom designer in Hollywood. Head was the favorite designer of many leading actresses, such as Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, and the first pick for designing the costumes for the biggest movies of the era, including Samson and Delilah, All About Eve, and Sabrina. In 1967, when she is 70 years old, Head left Paramount for Universal Studios. There, she won her first Academy Award for outfitting male stars in the film The Sting. She began designing costumes for TV productions, such as Bewitched and the mini-series Little Women. In the late 1970s, she designed the women’s uniform for the United States Coast Guard, for which she received the Meritorious Public Service Award. At the age of 83, Head worked on her last film project, the comedy, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. She died in the following year, a few days before her 84th birthday. Throughout her career, Head was nominated for 35 Academy Awards, winning 8 times – setting the record for the most honored costume designer in Academy Award history.   Read more...

Born Rachel Meghan Markle in Los Angeles, California. Her mother is African-American, and her father is Caucasian. When she was 6 years old, her parents got divorced. Markle attended Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and then the all-girl Immaculate Heart High School. At 18, Markle began to study theatre and international studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. In 2002, at 21, after earning her bachelor’s degree, she returned to LA to develop her acting career. As a biracial actress, Markle had difficulties getting roles, not being black enough for black roles and not white enough for white ones. To support herself financially, she taught bookbinding and worked as a calligrapher. Markel’s first TV appearance was as a nurse in the soap opera General Hospital. Then she landed guest roles in various TV shows, such as 90210, CSI: NY, and CSI: Miami, as well as leading roles in movies, such as Random Encounters and Anti-Social. In 2011, at the age of 30, Markel had her big break in the TV show Suits, playing the role of Rachel Zane. At 33, Markle founded a lifestyle blog called The Tig, in which she wrote about fashion, food, traveling, beauty, and highlighting inspirational women. In 2016, at 35, Markle was appointed global ambassador for World Vision Canada. In this role, she traveled to Rwanda, promoting the Clean Water Campaign, and India, advocating for raising awareness for women’s issues, and debunking stigmatization regarding menstrual health. In June 2016, Markle was introduced to Prince Harry, a member of the British royal family, by a mutual friend, and soon they became a couple and got engaged in the following year. As a future member of the British royal family, Markle retired from acting and closed her blog. The wedding took place on May 19, 2018, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Afterward, Markle was given the title Duchess of Sussex and took on various royal duties. She served as vice president of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and as the patron of numerous charities and organizations, including London’s National Theatre, The Royal Foundation, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Using her fashionista status, Markle collaborated with British stores and fashion houses to launch the Smart Set capsule collection to raise money for the Smart Works charity. Markle and Prince Harry also established the Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, which later was renamed Archewell Inc. On May 6, 2019, at the age of 38, Markle gave birth to her first son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, the 7th in line of succession to the British throne. In January 2020, after years of suffering public pressure, endless tabloid rumors, and scrutinizing, in addition to race issues raised by the royal members about her and her son, and with no support or protection from the crown, Markle and Prince Harry announced of their retirement from their royal duties and of their plan to become financially independent. Within six months, they settled in LA, where they continue to support and advocate for charities and organizations that promote social issues, such as mental health, women’s rights, animal welfare, and education access. Read more...

Born Audrey Kathleen Ruston in Brussels, Belgium. Her mother was a Dutch baroness, and her father was British with an aristocratic background. In her early childhood, the family traveled between Brussels and England. At the age of 6, after her father left the family, she moved with her mother to the family estate in Arnhem, The Netherlands, and two years later, she returned to England to attend boarding school. In 1939, after the United Kingdom declared war on Germany, Hepburn returned to Arnhem, thinking that it would remain neutral. During WWII, Hepburn and her mother were relatively safe but did endure hardships – her half-brother got deported to a German labor camp, her uncle was murdered, and she suffered from anemia as a result of malnutrition due to the 1944 Dutch famine. After the war, 16 years old Hepburn moved with her mother to Amsterdam, where she worked at the Royal Military Invalids Home and continued her ballet training. At 19, she returned to London to study acting and ballet, supporting herself by working as a model. When she was told that she was too tall and too weak to become a prima ballerina, Hepburn channeled her focus toward acting. At 23, while shooting a film in Monte-Carlo, Hepburn caught the French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette’s attention. who decided to cast her for the leading role in the Broadway adaptation of her novel Gigi. Hepburn received praises for her performance, and in the same year, she launched her Hollywood career, starring in the movie Roman Holiday alongside Gregory Peck. The film was a hit, and Hepburn charmed the audience with her portrayal of the young princess, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Following her success, Hepburn signed a seven-picture contract with Paramount Studios, which included the film, Sabrina, gaining her another BAFTA Award. In 1954, Hepburn returned to the stage as the water nymph in Ondine, for which she received a Tony Award. At the production, she met her first husband, her co-star Mel Ferrer, and the couple settled in Switzerland, the place she called home when she did not film in the US. In the next decade, Hepburn starred in a series of successful features, such as War and Peace, The Nun’s Story, and Green Mansions, starring alongside A-list actors. In her 30’s, Hepburn began playing more sophisticated and worldly characters. Including her acclaimed appearance as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Regina in the thriller Charade, and Eliza Doolittle in the musical, My Fair Lady. At 40, after her divorce, Hepburn decided to focus on her family and went into semi-retirement for a few years. She married the Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti and had another child. At the age of 47, she resumed her acting career, appearing alongside Sean Connery in Robin and Marian and hosting a traveling documentary-series called Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn. Her last film role was in 1989 as the angel in Steven Spielberg’s Always. Overall, Hepburn participated in more than 20 movies and received more than 10 awards for her performances. Throughout her career, Hepburn was known as a fashion icon, recognized for her distinctive look and fashion choices. She had a unique, minimalistic style, wearing clothes with simple silhouettes and monochromatic colors, associated mainly with the “little black dress” she wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Since 1988, Hepburn devoted herself to her duty as a special Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). She traveled to famine-stricken areas to raise awareness of children in need, making more than 50 trips to Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. In 1992, after returning from Somalia, Hepburn was diagnosed with colon cancer. She died in her home in Switzerland at the age of 63. Read more...