Gia Carangi

Who was Gia Carangi?

Gia Marie Carangi was an American fashion model during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Carangi is considered by some to be the first supermodel, although that title has been applied to others, including Janice Dickinson, Dorian Leigh, and Jean Shrimpton. Model Cindy Crawford was later referred to as "Baby Gia" due to her resemblance to Carangi.

Carangi was featured on the cover of fashion magazines, including the April 1979 edition of British Vogue, the April 1979 and August 1980 editions of Vogue Paris, the August 1980 edition of American Vogue, the February 1981 edition of Vogue Italia, and multiple issues of Cosmopolitan between 1979 and 1982. During these years, she also appeared in various promotional campaigns for high profile fashion houses including, among others, Armani, Christian Dior, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.

After she became addicted to heroin, Carangi's modeling career rapidly declined. She later contracted HIV, which claimed her life at the age of 26. Her death was not widely publicized and few people in the fashion industry knew of it. Carangi is thought to be one of the first famous women to die of AIDS. Gia, a biographical film starring Angelina Jolie, debuted on HBO in 1998.