Emmy Award–Winning "Bridgerton" Hair And Makeup Designer Marc Pilcher Has Died Of COVID-19

"A phenomenal talent, his work on Bridgerton season one was unrivaled, and he was a much-loved member of the crew."

Bridgerton's Emmy Award–winning hair and makeup designer Marc Pilcher has died of COVID-19, his agent Curtis Brown confirmed to BuzzFeed News.

Pilcher, who died Sunday at the age of 53, was fully vaccinated and had no underlying health conditions before he attended the Emmy Awards ceremony, his family and friends said in a statement to Variety.

According to the statement, Pilcher, who was based in the UK, "tested negative on multiple COVID-19 tests to make the trip across the Atlantic and back again for the ceremony. Not long after his return, he was taken ill and his condition deteriorated over the weekend."

"Glamorous and extravagant, he brought his flair and style to every design," the statement added. "Never limited in his thought process for his creations, he pushed boundaries and created work never realized before.”

Pilcher led the Bridgerton hair and makeup team, which secured the show's only Emmy Award: Outstanding Period and/or Character Hairstyling. The Netflix show also won Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling in a TV Series, Limited or Miniseries or TV New Media Series at the Hollywood Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards in April.

"We are saddened by the loss of Marc Pilcher," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. "A phenomenal talent, his work on Bridgerton season one was unrivaled, and he was a much-loved member of the crew. Our hearts go out to his family and friends at this time.”

In a statement from Shonda Rhimes and her production company Shondaland, she said Pilcher's death "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."

Pilcher began his career in 1988 on London's West End, which he described on his website as "the best place in the world to learn period hairdressing." In the early 2000s, he started working in film and television. Pilcher's many projects before Bridgerton include Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast, My Week With Marilyn, and The Young Victoria. In 2019, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling for his work on Mary, Queen of Scots.

Members of the Bridgerton cast and crew paid tribute to Pilcher on social media.

Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, described him as "brilliant and visionary" and "tremendously talented" in an Instagram post on Monday.

"It's a tragedy that he's been taken so young when he had so much yet to do," she wrote. She cited Pilcher's death as "a reminder that COVID is still a very real and present danger," asking her followers to "please get vaccinated and mask up to protect yourself and others."

Bridgerton hair and makeup supervisor Lynda Pearce, whom Pilcher referred to as his "right-hand woman," shared pictures of them together on her Instagram, writing, "I will love you forever and I will hold you safely in my heart always."

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