The Italian designer came from a family of painters and is thought to be worth around £400 million ($497 million). For many years, the international jet set favored Cavalli because of his extravagant animal prints and penchant for pythons.

After a protracted illness, Cavalli passed away at home in Florence, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

Sergio Azzolari, the CEO of Roberto Cavalli, posted a message on Instagram expressing his sympathies to Cavalli’s family and expressing the sadness of the firm over his passing.

Cavalli was well-known for his affinity for large cigars, Ferraris, and his trademark unbuttoned dress shirts that showed off his tanned chest. Along with owning a Tuscany vineyard and a purple helicopter, he was well-known to many Hollywood celebrities by first name.