One of the sad realities about fame is that it’s fleeting. Sure, some celebs manage to stay famous from decade to decade, but many are forgotten only one generation after their death. That is particularly true of Margaux Hemingway, a supermodel who captivated fans across magazine covers and media appearances for many years.
Above and beyond her own success, Margaux was also the granddaughter of the famous writer Ernest Hemingway. The two had much in common in both life and death, including the fact that each died from suicide. Now, decades later, we are still shocked by her glamorous life and grisly death and believe that younger audiences should learn all about her.
Ready to get started? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about Margaux Hemingway!
Born to a famous grandfather
Eventually, Margaux Hemingway became a famous celebrity in her own right. When she was born, though, she had to live in the shadow of her grandfather. And that shadow was almost impossibly long because her grandfather was none other than literary giant Ernest Hemingway.
Her father was Jack Hemingway, Ernest’s oldest son, and her mother was Byra Louise. While Jack wasn’t all that similar to Ernest, he and his wife shared the famous writer’s sense of humor. They originally named their daughter “Margot” after the French wine they were drinking when she was conceived: Château Margaux. When she found out, the daughter was so delighted that she legally changed the spelling of her last name to “Margaux.”
Becoming a successful model
When Margaux was young, it must have felt like Ernest Hemingway was everywhere. After all, she and her family moved around over the years and ended up living on the writer’s farm in Cuba. Later, after living in San Francisco, they moved to Ketchum, Idaho, where Ernest had killed himself. Once she turned 21, though, Margaux escaped her grandfather’s shadow by becoming a supermodel.
In case you’re wondering, we’re not throwing “super” around lightly, either. When she signed on with Fabergé to make ads for their Bae perfume, Margaux became the first model in history to sign a million-dollar contract. Around this time, she became the kind of person you couldn’t help but notice because she either appeared in or was praised by some of the biggest publications.
For example, she was often praised by Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Vogue. And Time wasted no time declaring her “The New Beauty” in 1975. Just like that, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway was an international superstar, but her new, fast-moving lifestyle came with temptations that would ultimately contribute to her own untimely death.
Struggling with alcohol and drugs
Margaux Hemingway had a very difficult time growing up. In addition to some major issues with her father (more on this soon), she had to face some dangerous inner demons. For example, she experienced epilepsy and depression growing up, all while she struggled to look pretty. The need to look a certain way is almost certainly what caused her to develop bulimia, too.
Once Margaux Hemingway became a world-famous supermodel, those who knew her best hoped that success would keep the demons away. Unfortunately, she continued to wrestle with those demons even as she began to party too hard at places like the infamous Studio 54. This led to problems with both alcohol and drugs that would haunt her for the rest of her tragically short life.
A horrifying accusation and an untimely death
Several things contributed to Margaux Hemingway’s untimely death. Battles with alcohol and drugs compounded problems like depression, and things got much worse after she got into a skiing accident in 1984. She gained weight during her recovery, which made existing career setbacks worse while making it even harder for her to find work as a model. She was also a frequent divorcee whose strained relationship with her parents broke down when she accused Jack Hemingway of sexually abusing her when she was younger.
Her parents then cut off all contact, though Margaux’s sister Mariel later confirmed her sister’s claims. All of this messy tragedy came to a head on July 1, 1996, when Margaux committed suicide by abusing medication, dying at only 42 years old. The official cause of death was the ingestion of too much phenobarbital, but to this day, many people believe she died due to an old family curse.
A victim of the Hemingway curse?
Sadly, Margaux Hemingway died only one day shy of a grim anniversary: the 35th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s death. He famously took his own life, kicking off a grim tradition that Margaux once said it was impossible to escape: the “Hemingway curse.” The curse in question refers to just how many members of this famous family have taken their lives.
When she committed suicide, Margaux became the fifth member of the Hemingway family to do so. To some, this verified that the curse was real and that she, as predicted, was unable to escape. Regardless of whether or not you believe in such things, we can all agree that Margaux Hemingway was an immensely talented young woman who left a truly indelible legacy behind her.