Lucy Markovic, ‘Australia's Next Top Model' star, dead at 27

Lucy Markovic — a model who rose to fame on "Australia’s Next Top Model" — has died at the age of 27, her loved ones confirmed, after a battle with a rare brain condition.

Originally appeared on E! Online.

The modeling world is mourning a tragic loss.

Lucy Markovic, a model whose star rose while on "Australia’s Next Top Model", has died, her loved ones confirmed. She was 27.

“Dear friends and family, I regret to inform you that Lucy has passed,” read a message shared to Markovic’s Instagram Story on Thursday. “She was at peace. Me, her mother and my mother were present with her.”

The message continued, “We ask you to please give us space in these hard times. May Lucy rest in peace.”

According to Markovic’s modeling agency in New York, Elite Model Management, the young model died “after a brave battle” with a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM). According to the Mayo Clinic, an AVM is “a tangle of blood vessels that creates irregular connections between arteries and veins in the brain.”

Australia Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reports that Markovic wrote on social media about her condition last month, in a post that appears to have since been deleted, in which she shared with followers the AVM was “the size of a golf ball.” The post noted that she had been scheduled to undergo surgery on March 26, but that it had been rescheduled to April 2.

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According to ABC, a message shared to Markovic’s Instagram said she was “battling for her life” only hours before confirming her death.

Following Markovic’s passing, her management company penned a tribute honoring her and her career.

“Lucy was a bright shining light, and had an incredible dry sense of humor,” read a post shared to the agency’s account. “Her smile and laughter could light up a room, and draw you closer to her. She loved to dance, she really shined.”

The statement continued, “Modeling was one of Lucy’s dreams, and we are deeply honored to have been part of that journey with her. She brought elegance, strength, and beauty to her work. But more than that, she brought herself — her warmth, her laughter, her light.”

Markovic finished in second place on "Australia’s Next Top Model" in 2015, when she was only a teenager, after which she would continue on to walk catwalks for brands such as Oscar de la Renta, Bulgari, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana.

Having worked with Versace, Markovic’s passing was also honored by Donatella Versace, who shared an image of Markovic modeling for the brand on a runway.

“I am so sorry to hear the news about @lucymarkovicc,” Donatella wrote on her Instagram Story. “Rest in peace beautiful girl.”