Death and memorial He was 40 years old. The coroner, Paul Knapman, reported finding "a significant level of cocaine, sleeping pills, and tranquillisers in the blood samples taken after the designer's death." The Westminster Coroner's Court officially recorded his death as a suicide on 28 April 2010.

McQueen's bequethed a fashion legacy to the new creative director of the company Sarah Burton, but the late designer also left a large sum of money to his three dogs-- Minter, a mongrel, Juice, an English bull terrier, and Callum, a Rhodesian ridgeback.

Why are they so pricey? It comes down to a few simple reasons: Alexander McQueen sneakers are crafted using the most exquisite, luxurious materials: smooth, supple calfskin and rubber. They are 100% made in Italy, where factory workers make a fair, livable wage.

One of McQueen's most famous motifs was the skull, which can be seen on this "knucklebag." The skull appears often throughout his work, serving as a morbid reminder of mortality amongst the glitz and glamour of the catwalk. His iconic skull scarf became a celebrity must-have and was copied around the world.