Nick Harvey/Getty ImagesLady Gaga hasn't forgotten Alexander McQueen, and neither have London officials.
A British medical examiner today told the Westminister Coroner Court that the iconic designer died of asphyxiation and hanging, confirming the widespread reports that his death last Thursday was due to suicide.
At the five-minute hearing, during which the media present were asked once again to respect the McQueen family's privacy in the wake of their "grievous double loss in a very short space of time," more details of how the couturier was found were also revealed.
According to the coroner official, McQueen's body was found hanging in his wardrobe in his London apartment the day before the funeral of his mother, Joyce, was to take place. The 40-year-old designer, whose real name was Lee McQueen, had been tweeting about how difficult it was coping with that loss in the days leading up to his death.
"At about 10:30 a.m. last Thursday...a man was found hanging in his wardrobe at Flat 1, Green Street, London, W1," the medical examiner's official Lynda Martindill said in a statement to the court. "On Monday, Feb. 15, he was identified as Lee Alexander McQueen…he was a single man, a fashion designer."
His older sister, Janet McQueen, was called in to identify the body, and officials said they found a suicide note left by the designer nearby, but did not divulge its contents. It has since been turned over to the coroner as part of the investigation. The detective in charge of the inquest, which is launched in the wake of any violent or otherwise unexplained death in Britain, also informed the court that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
A subsequent hearing on the inquest has been set for April 28. In the meantime, London Fashion Week officials are working overtime to plan a tribute to the fashion giant when the suddenly more somber sartorial festivities kick off on Friday.
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Check out some of the late designer's star clients in our Alexander McQueen's Famous Fans gallery.