Vale, 1936-2024 Maggie T

At The Weekly Maggie Tabberer was and remains our guiding light - the epitome of elegance with a whip-smart intellect, naughty sense of fun and innate kindness. She was a one-off.

- JULIET RIEDEN

When the news broke on December 6 that icon Maggie Tabberer had died age 87, a dazzling star went out in Australia's fashion firmament. Modest Maggie would have been surprised at how intense the outpouring of emotion was. The news of her passing was the lead story for every newspaper, social media site, radio and TV network. The loss felt by Australia was palpable, for even though she was “a very old lady” – her words not mine - Maggie never lost her lustre. The stunning young girl with piercing sky-blue eyes and perfect bone structure from working-class Adelaide who then grew up to be a supermodel, TV star, fashion editor and savvy business entrepreneur was a national treasure and as was immediately obvious, she commanded a very special place in the nation's heart.

Even though I knew she'd had some health issues, the news came as a shock. I'd expected to be calling Maggie in a few months for our regular dance of persuading her to do “just one more shoot”. She would always laugh and say “no, darling” but then a couple of calls later we'd be booking the studio. Maggie loved The Weekly and was always excited to be on the cover.

I phoned her daughters, Brooke and Amanda, who confirmed that Maggie had sadly died at 6am that morning. “Just five days before her 88th birthday. I feel numb,” Brooke told me.

In one of our many interviews over the past decade, Maggie told me that she didn't have a bucket list of unfulfilled ambitions. Life was about the here and now. “I just want to have more of what I've got,” she said. “Friends and family who make me laugh and are happy to see me. All those nice warm things are what life is all about.”

As she had been throughout her life, Maggie was surrounded by family and friends in her final weeks. “She was very happy, very comfortable and most important of all in no pain,” said Amanda, who lived with her mother at their home in Sydney. “It was just her time and Maggie knew that.”