It seemed like Margaux Hemingway had it all at one point: fame, beauty, and a last name that made people take notice.
One of the most iconic figures of the 1970s, the supermodel appeared on almost every major magazine cover for a while.
Authorities discovered her severely decomposed body in 1996, but beneath the glitzy exterior was a life filled with suffering. The next thing they discovered astounded even those who believed they knew her the best.
Her appearance defined a generation.
Even though Margaux Hemingway had the name, the face, and the fame, it was insufficient to save her.
Being the first model to land a million-dollar contract, a six-foot-tall blond beauty, and a woman who seemed destined for the limelight, she was everything to the world.
She had a name, connections, and appearance that typified a generation in the 1970s. However, the narrative of Margaux’s life beyond the beautiful magazine covers, red carpets, and camera flashes was one of suffering, addiction, and the eerie legacy of the Hemingway name.
And the way that narrative concluded in 1996 still hurts people to this day.
What her name means
Margaux Louise Hemingway, the granddaughter of renowned author Ernest Hemingway, was born on February 16, 1954, and was considered literary royalty. Born to Byra Louise (née Whittlesey) and Jack Hemingway, the eldest son of author Ernest Hemingway, she was the middle of three daughters.
After learning that she was named after the upscale French wine Château Margaux, which her parents were drinking the night she was conceived, Margaux changed her name from Margot to “Margaux.”
After living on Ernest Hemingway’s Cuban estate for a number of years, the family moved to San Francisco, where her father was a stockbroker. They relocated in 1967, this time to the mountain hamlet of Ketchum, Idaho, where Ernest Hemingway had committed suicide six years earlier.
Margaux made a huge splash in the modelling industry at the age of 21. When she signed the first-ever million-dollar contract in history with Fabergé for their Babe perfume in 1975, she created history with her towering figure and iconic visage. “The New Beauty” is how Time magazine referred to her. She was the talk of Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Vogue.
Ms. Hemingway was hailed by New York fashion designer Joe Eula in 1975, who claimed that she had “the face of a generation, as recognisable and memorable as Lisa Fonssagrives and Jean Shrimpton.”
I became a global cover girl all of a sudden. My Hemingwayness was being embraced by everyone,” Margaux recalled afterwards. It was, and it sounded glamorous. I was having a great time. However, I also entered the scene with a great deal of naiveté. I honestly believed that people enjoyed me for who I was, for my positive traits and sense of humour. I never thought I would run into so many professional leeches.
Margaux’s inheritance of Ernest’s spirit
However, Margaux was more than just a model; she was a cultural influence. She was also well aware of the attention her last name garnered.
I capitalise my name, of course. “But, gee, I do it in style!” she exclaimed in a 1979 magazine.
She frequently claimed to have gotten her free spirit from her “grandpa” and to have learnt how to create headlines at a young age.
Additionally, there were undoubtedly some parallels between Margaux and her grandfather. A photo session for Town & Country magazine in Key West was one of her first modelling assignments. Margaux inherited Ernest Hemingway’s bulk and broad, good-looking features more than any other granddaughter. She had an athletic, rolling gait and lived by the motto of “living big” and “seeking adventure.” At one point, she claimed to have “Hemingway’s spirit in her marrow.”
“That’s what I used to say,” Margaux said in 1984. I’m more modest now, though. It is something that should be said by others. Well, I suppose I am a daredevil.
An incident involving skiing in 1984
Margaux partied at Studio 54 during the height of the disco period, with Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger. She costarred with her sister Mariel Hemingway in her first film, Lipstick, which was criticised by critics. She went on to act in Killer Fish and Over the Brooklyn Bridge.
Margaux was having trouble behind the flashbulbs, though. She became involved in drug and alcohol experiments while she was a regular at Studio 54.
Margaux Hemingway / Getty Images and English American actor and Faberge director Cary Grant
She has struggled with depression, bulimia, and epilepsy since she was in her teens. She turned to drinking as a form of self-medication. In 1984, she suffered injuries and vulnerability in a skiing accident. Her subsequent weight increase and professional losses threw her into a tailspin. She entered a rehabilitation centre. In 1990, she tried to change who she was by posing for Playboy.
I identify as Hemingway. I’m well-versed in addiction. She once said, “The curse of alcoholism is upon us all.”
“All that drugs do is ruin you.” “It’s garbage,” she added.
The reason for death
A poisonous storm was generated by the demands of celebrity, the legacy of her well-known grandfather, and a lifetime of inner suffering. She had tense relationships; her marriages ended in divorce, and she lost contact with her family, particularly her father.
Margaux claimed in the early 1990s that she had experienced childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father. He denied everything, and he and her mother stopped communicating. Her sister Mariel corroborated the allegations years later.
In her tiny Santa Monica flat, Margaux Hemingway was discovered dead on July 1, 1996. Her new flat was a studio close to the beach.
When Margaux failed to answer her phone or answer knocks at the door, it all began. In order to enter her house from the balcony, friends then requested that a neighbouring employee bring a ladder.
The former supermodel was discovered dead after ingesting a deadly quantity of phenobarbital. She had taken so many drugs, according to the toxicology report, that her body didn’t even have time to process them all before she died.
Her age was only forty-two.
“There is no way to avoid the Hemingway curse.”
Unfortunately, coroner’s office officials in Los Angeles stated the body was so deteriorated that it was hard to identify immediately. Initially, the police were only able to verify that the remains belonged to a female.
The verdict was a suicide.
In addition, she tragically became the fifth Hemingway family member to commit suicide by suicide.
She had once remarked, “The Hemingway curse is unbreakable.”
Just one day before the anniversary of her grandfather Ernest Hemingway’s suicide, which occurred precisely 35 years prior, she passed away.
The narrative of Margaux, a lady who appeared to have it all while secretly facing invisible demons, is more poignant than her hardships.
The 63-year-old sister of Margaux, Mariel, described her as a “beautiful, generous, and kind soul.” Her difficulties were genuine, and numerous. She was more than her hardships, though. She wanted to be loved and loved with all her heart.
Mariel’s life has been devoted to raising awareness of mental health. She helped with the critically acclaimed documentary Running from Crazy, which examines the mental health issues in her family.
The Legacy of Margaux
A hauntingly beautiful representation of genius, sorrow, and the price of a spotlight too brilliant to bear, Margaux Hemingway continues to inspire people when they come across her photographs, watch her films again, and read about her life.
At its best, Margaux Hemingway’s tale gives us a stark reality of what it’s like to grow up behind a famous name. Her narrative challenges us to see past appearances and show empathy for people who appear to have it all but are engaged in ongoing, covert conflicts. It reminds us that a legacy goes beyond a name or notoriety; it’s about the person who created it, with all of their bravery and frailty.
Above all, Margaux’s existence encourages us to have candid discussions about addiction, mental health, and the demands of celebrity, which might benefit those who feel alone. Because the most tragic tales can occasionally teach us the most valuable lessons.
