American model Gia Carangi was BOTD in 1960. Born in Philadelphia to an Italian immigrant family, she was discovered by a fashion scout at a hair salon and moved to New York City at 17, signing with Wilhelmina Models. Breaking through the ranks of blonde blue-eyed models, she had a meteoric rise to stardom, appearing on the covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan, and fronting advertising campaigns for Armani, Christian Dior, Versace and Yves St Laurent. She became a fixture of 1970s New York nightlife, partying at Studio 54 and appearing in the music video for Blondie’s song Atomic. Openly queer since forever, she had relationships with men and women throughout her life. Her growing addiction to heroin and cocaine ended her career, and she spent several years in and out of drug treatment programmes. In 1985, she was diagnosed with AIDS-related complex. She died of complications from AIDS in 1986, aged 26. Often referred to as the world’s first supermodel, she has also been embraced as a queer icon. She was played, magnificently, by Angelina Jolie in the 1998 TV biopic Gia, winning Jolie a Golden Globe.