By: Madison Pritchard

Vivienne Westwood: 1941-2022

Vivienne Westwood was a force to be reckoned with during her successful career in fashion. She got her start in 1965 after meeting and moving in with Malcolm McClaren. Together, they opened a vintage fashion stall called Let It Rock. Here, Westwood began to design and create clothing based off of ideas McClaren had. The designs were representative of the “normal” style of the time, which often included very bold and promiscuous slogans or graphics. These articles of clothing were immensely successful within the punk youth demographic in Britain, however, they garnered negative attention from the more conservative right-wing reporters.

Eventually, Westwood and McClaren parted ways in 1986 and Vivienne began her own brand, Vivienne Westwood, which stayed true to her unique and extravagant roots. Here she became a household name because she was never afraid of being too bold or too brazen with her designs. Her influence on the fashion world is forever remembered as an important one for the strides she took to make a difference. 

Stephen “tWitch” Boss: 1982-2022

Over his lifetime, Stephen “tWitch” Boss developed impressive skills in acting, producing, choreographing and dancing. In 2008, he was on the hit TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” and ended as the runner-up contestant. During this season, he performed a dance titled “Mercy” with fellow contestant Katee Shean that earned them a choreography award nomination from the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. In following seasons of SYTYCD he participated as an All Star dancer. 

He became the guest DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2014, and then in 2020 became a co-executive producer of the show. He also starred in the “Step Up” movies of 2010, 2012 and 2014 as character Jason Hardlerson. Then in 2015 he acted in “Magic Mike XXL”. In death, he leaves behind his wife, fellow SYTYCD contestant Allison Holker, their three children, and a loving fanbase who know him as a lighthearted, hardworking, and devoted man. 

Irene Cara: 1959-2022

Popular songstress and actor from the 80’s, Irene Cara worked on a multitude of projects that earned her claim to fame. One of her most popular songs being the title song “Fame” from the 1980 musical film of the same name, where she played Coco Hernandez. The song rose to number 1 on music charts from multiple countries, earning her a spot in mainstream music. Then in 1983, she sang the song “Flashdance… What A Feeling” from the film “Flashdance”. This performance won her an Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. 

Later in life, she voiced Snow White in the unofficial sequel to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Happily Ever After, and also appeared as Mary Magdalene in the musical tour for Jesus Christ Superstar. After these jobs though, she never was able to go back to the level of success she had once reached, and began to slowly drift away from the limelight. 

Takeoff: 1994-2022

Kirshnik Khari Ball, or more commonly known from his professional name Takeoff, was one-third of the critically acclaimed rap trio, Migos. Made up of his uncle, Quavo, and cousin, Offset, they first hit the hip hop scene in 2008. But only in 2013 did they begin to garner attention for their work after the release of their single “Versace”. Their first number 1 hit “Bad and Boujee” was what really pushed them to the forefront of the rap genre.

Migos’ second and third studio albums “Culture” and “Culture II” both debuted at number 1 on Billboard 200. Soon after in 2018, Takeoff announced an upcoming solo album titled “The Last Rocket”. In October 2022, as his final project, Takeoff released a collaborative album with Quavo named “Only Built for Infinity Links” in the month leading up to his death. 

Because of his important contributions and impact he had on the hip hop genre, the public commemoration of his life entitled “Celebration of Life” amassed over 20,000 attendees.