Marc Pilcher—the Emmy award winner behind the hair and makeup design for Netflix’s Bridgerton—has died of COVID-19, his agency Curtis Brown confirmed Monday morning. He was 53.
“Glamorous and extravagant, he brought his flair and style to every design. Never limited in his thought process for his creations, he pushed boundaries and created work never realized before,” his family and friends wrote to Variety in a statement via Curtis Brown.
The news comes a mere three weeks after the U.K. based artist traveled to Los Angeles for the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony, during which he was awarded for his work on the Netflix series.
Pilcher tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times in order to make the trip across the pond and back again for the ceremony. However, he became ill shortly after his return. His condition deteriorated over the weekend and he died on Sunday. According to Variety, Pilcher was double vaccinated with no underlying health conditions.
As the hair designer for the period drama, he brought a modern flair to Regency era stylings, particularly with Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) larger than life and highly artistic wigs.
In addition to a lauded career in television and film, Pilcher spent 15 years perfecting his craft on London’s West End shows such as Company, Sunset Boulevard, and Aspects of Love. His previous work includes Downton Abbey, Amazon’s The Collection, and Mary Queen Of Scots, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award in 2019.
Bridgerton producer Shonda Rhimes wrote on Twitter: “The passing of Marc Pilcher is beyond words. I will forever be in awe of the incredible hairstyling and makeup work that he brought to Bridgerton. My heart goes out to his loved ones as we lost him way too soon.”
Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington on Bridgerton, shared her condolences on Instagram. “So heartbroken by the loss of Marc Pilcher, the brilliant and visionary Hair and Makeup designer for Bridgerton Season One. Marc was so passionate about his work and so tremendously talented. Not even a month ago he won his first Emmy award. It’s a tragedy that he’s been taken so young when he had so much yet to do,” she wrote.
His most recently completed work will be seen on Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man, starring Ralph Fiennes.