The Bad Boy of British fashion, Alexander McQueen was found dead in his home in Green Street, Mayfair on Thursday February 11.

 The 40-year-old’s suicide comes only days after the death of his beloved mother – Joyce and a few short days before his show in London Fashion Week.

The McQ womenswear collection was scheduled to be shown at New York Fashion Week on the afternoon of his death, but was promptly removed from the line up.

A statement was released from the Alexander McQueen Company headquarters in Farringdon on the day of his death. “On behalf of Lee McQueen’s family, Alexander McQueen today announces the tragic news that Lee McQueen, the founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand, has been found dead in his home.”

“At this stage, it is inappropriate to comment on this tragic news beyond saying that we are devastated and are sharing a sense of shock and grief with Lee’s family.”

Posts on the designer’s Twitter page over the past week highlighted the grief and emotional turmoil he was going through over his mother’s death.

On February 3, he posted: “I’m letting my followers know that my mother passed away yesterday. If she had not had me nor would you. RIP Mum xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx”

Moments later he added: “but life goes on.”

On Sunday he announced that he had had an “awful week” and was grateful to friends and family for helping him through it and said “but now I have to some how pull myself together.“

Born in London’s East End and son of a taxi driver, McQueen started his career at the early age of 16. He began an apprenticeship with tailors Anderson and Sheppard on Saville Row. It was here where he infamously stitched profanities into the lining of Price Charles’ suits.

He was discovered in the early 90’s by Fashion Director of Tatler magazine, Isabella Blow, who bought his entire graduate collection from prestigious Central St. Martins fashion school for £5,000. The two remained close friends throughout his career until Blow’s sudden suicide in May 2007 after discovering she had ovarian cancer. It was Blow who encouraged McQueen to use his middle name, Alexander, for his brand.

His shaved hair, Doc Martin boots and fondness for shock tactics and provoking controversy, McQueen was nicknamed “l’enfant terrible” of the fashion world and the hooligan of British Fashion.

He first came into the main stream limelight in 1996 when working as chief designer of Givenchy and was the youngest to ever receive the much coveted British Designer of the Year Award at the age of 27.

By 2001, he broke away from Givenchy to create his own line and the Gucci Group bought a 51% share in the McQueen Company and launched 10 stores worldwide by 2005.

 McQueen thrived in producing collections that would amaze and astonish the industry and has come far from his first trademark item of the low slung “bumster” trousers. He is renowned for outlandish and futuristic designs which have been seen on celebrities including Madonna, Lady Gaga, Victoria Beckham and many more.

His shows and collections veered on the side of avant-garde and never ceased to provide the fashion world with something unique.

In 2003, the same year he was awarded an OBE by the Queen, McQueen’s S/S collection was showcased by recreating a shipwreck. In spring 2005, a human chess game.  In 2005, when Kate Moss was found in a drugs scandal and many fashion houses, including Burberry, snubbed and disowned her from their lines, McQueen went against the trend and projected a three dimensional holograph of the model at his next Paris show and took his bow in a plain navy T-shirt saying “We Love You Kate”.

His latest collection for Spring / Summer 2010, titled Plato Atlantis, created structured silk and chiffon body formed dressed based on female reptilian scaled creatures. It generated a futuristic and alien runway which was celebrated as his best designs yet from the industry.

Those that loved him will remember his outrageous runway shows, skul- print scarves, extreme tailoring and astounding shoes. Alexander McQueen is survived by all those who sat in his shows, wore his clothing, pined over them his shop windows and applauded him for daring to be different.