Male Model Tom Nicon Dies at 22, Sources Say was 'Depressed'

Tom Nicon in the spring 2010 Burberry show

It's always a horrible thing having to break this type of news, especially when it regards such a young talent. For those unaware, 22 year old male model Tom Nicon was reported dead last week, a day before Milan Fashion Week began. The young model fell 40 feet from his apartment in Milan, after apparently prepping for the fashion week shows. Now, sources close to Nicon and those that had seen him just before the tragic incident said he had been depressed. Donatella Versace was with Nicon the morning of his death at a rehearsal and told the Guardian that she noticed his behavior to be unusual. "Who knows if that was a signal that I, as a woman and a mother, could have acted on?" Giorgio Armani, meanwhile, attributed the youth's death to the hardships of the fashion industry. "This world is too closely linked to youth and makes it seem like life ends at 22," he said.

It was confirmed that Nicon had been dealing with a breakup with his girlfriend and that was why he was suspected of being depressed. The Telegraph reported yesterday that Nicon's death was in fact a suicide. Fashion insiders all across Milan, and the world, are grieving for Tom and asking themselves why. Versace said "When we heard the news we were all so upset and we still are all so very sad." Armani also noted, "We need to make the young understand life is beautiful from 23 onwards as well. There will always be disappointments, including in love, but they must be faced up to without tragedy." R.I.P. Tom Nicon.

Article and Photo Source: NY Mag
-Alia Rajput