The Tunisian-born fashion designer who dressed famous women from Hollywood to the White House has died.

Azzedine Alaia was a fashion iconoclast whose clingy styles helped define the 1980’s.  He was dubbed the “King of Cling” for his sculptural, formfitting designs. His clients included women as diverse as Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Grace Jones and Greta Garbo.

Alaia was based in Paris for decades but didn’t take part in the city’s seasonal fashion frenzy or flashy ad campaigns. Instead, he showed privately on his own schedule.

The French couture federation said Alaia was born in 1940.  Tunisian Culture Ministry said he was born in 1942.