Who was Tatjana Patitz married to? Exploring her marriage with Jason Johnson and all about their son, Jonah

Tatjana Patitz, who was considered to be one of the “original” supermodels, passed away at the age of 56. The news of her demise was confirmed to CBS News in an official statement by her New York agent from the Model CoOp agency, Corinne Nicolas:

“Tatiana passed away in California. The cause of death was breast cancer. She is survived by her son, her sister, and her parents.”

Patitz was part of an elite group of supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and 1990s. She was one of the models to appear on George Michael's iconic Freedom! '90 music video alongside Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Cindy Crawford.

The group, including Patitz, was also featured on the cover of British Vogue for the magazine’s January 1990 issue. The photo has been hailed as one of the most iconic fashion images in history, while the magazine has been mentioned in Edward Enninful’s top ten British Vogue covers of all time.

Patitz was also a favorite of fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh and became a part of his renowned 1988 photo titled “White Shirts: Six Supermodels, Malibu.” During her time as a model, Patitz worked with luxury brands like Chanel, Calvin Klein, and Versace, among others.

On a personal front, Tatjana Patitz was previously married to Jason Jackson for six years. The duo also had a child together named Jonah. The supermodel is survived by her son.

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A look into Tatjana Patitz’s family, marriage and children

Tatjana Patitz said her son was her "source of happiness" (Image via Getty Images)

Tatjana Patitz was born on May 25, 1966, in Hamburg, Germany to a German father and an Estonian mother. She was reportedly raised in Skanor, Sweden. Her mother was a dancer who performed at the famous Le Lido in Paris, while her father was a travel journalist.

In addition to establishing a successful modeling career, Patitz also started a family of her own after marrying Jason Jackson in 2003. The duo welcomed their son, Jonah, in 2004 but eventually parted ways in 2009, ending nearly six years of marriage.

While the cause of Patitz’s separation from Jackson was not made available to the public, the former supermodel remained close to her son throughout her entire life. Speaking to Mercedes-AMG's 63Magazine in a 2019 interview, Patitz called Jonah her “source of happiness”:

“My son is my source of happiness in life. My friends, my animals, and nature give me balance and satisfaction – the feeling of being connected... I would like to send an empathetic person with a big heart out into the world.”

She continued:

“Jonah should always have the self-belief to be himself and to embody and articulate his own attitude and opinions... Having compassion and care for everything that exists. For our planet, animals, nature, and people.”

While Jonah stayed out of the spotlight during his early years, he quickly followed in his mother's footsteps and decided to pursue a modeling career. He was previously seen posing alongside Patitz for a Vogue photoshoot at their ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley.

Tatjana Patitz did not remarry after her separation from Jason Jackson. However, reports suggest that she previously dated Pierce Brosnan and Nick Kamen.