Australian television and fashion icon Maggie Tabberer has died aged 87.
Tabberer’s daughter Amanda Tabberer confirmed the news of her passing on social media on Friday.
“This morning we lost our beautiful mother and Nanna. She was an icon in every sense of the word and we will miss her dearly… Along with the rest of Australia.🥰 rest in peace Nanna. We love you to bits forever,” Amanda Tabberer wrote.
Considered to be Australia’s first supermodel, Maggie Tabberrer started her career in fashion in the 1960s, working with photographer Helmut Newton and gaining international recognition. She was the first Australian model to appear on the cover of the newly launched Vogue Australia.
Tabberer went on to become a national television personality, winning two Gold Logies. She also worked as the fashion editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly, launched her own public relations firm, as well as a clothing label, Maggie T.
Tabberer was one of the first “beauties” to appear on the panel television talk show Beauty and the Beast in 1964. She also hosted her own chat show, Maggie.
Her autobiography, Maggie, published in 1998 became a bestseller. Tabberer was the subject of Archibald Prize finalist portraits in 1997 and 2020.
In September 2023, she graced the cover of the Australian Women’s Weekly, celebrating the magazine’s 90th birthday. In an interview with the magazine, she shared her career advice for young women:
“Do something you love. You can’t give your whole spirit into something unless you really love it.”
Born as Margaret May Trigar in Adelaide on 11 December 1936, Tabberer is survived by her two daughters Amanda and Brooke.