Nick Kamen, iconic ’80s model who starred in Levi’s ‘Launderette’ commercial and later became Madonna’s protégé, dies at 59
Nick Kamen, a British model who gained worldwide fame after appearing in an advertisement for Levi’s in 1985, has died.
A friend of the family confirmed the news to the BBC. Kamen reportedly died Tuesday at his home in west London following a long illness. He was 59.
Kamen, whose real name was Ivor Neville Kamen, exploded onto the pop culture scene in a mid-80s commercial for Levi’s 501 jeans.
Set to the tune of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” the classic ad shows Kamen arriving at a laundromat, undressing — to the delight of laundromat customers and television viewers — tossing his jeans into a washer, and then patiently waiting... in his underwear.
“This commercial sent the shrink-to-fit jean skyrocketing in popularity in Europe and has since cemented its place in advertising history,” Levi’s said in a statement late last year.
It also turned Kamen into a bonafide sex symbol, who even impressed Madonna.
The following year, the queen of pop asked him to record “Each Time You Break My Heart,” a song co-written by Madonna and Stephen Bray, which hadn’t made the final track list of “True Blue,” her third album.
The song, for which Madonna provided backing vocals, was the single for his first, and self-titled, album.
The single cracked the top 5 in the U.K. charts. The album, “Nick Kamen,” peaked at No. 34 in the U.K. charts
On Wednesday, Madonna paid tribute to the late singer on Instagram, sharing a picture of the two of them in a music studio.
“It’s heart breaking to know you are gone,” she wrote. “You were always such a kind sweet human and you suffered too much. Hope you are happier wherever you are Nick Kamen.”
“R.I.P to the most beautiful and sweetest man Nick Kamen!” wrote singer Boy George, also sharing a photo of the two.
Duran Duran’s John Taylor also paid tribute to the late singer on social media.
“So so sad to hear of the passing of Nick Kamen,” he tweeted from Duran Duran’s official account. “One of the loveliest and gentlest men I ever met. He was a beloved friend to my daughter and her Mom. We shall all miss him. RIP Nick.”
