In the 1980s, Lam Thanh Ha was recognized as a great beauty, the beauty standard of showbiz in Hong Kong and even Asia. However, there is a beauty who is considered more beautiful than Lam Thanh Ha, whose reputation also reaches international level. That is Tina Chow (Chu Thien Na).
Tina Chow (right) was praised as more beautiful than Lam Thanh Ha in the 1980s.
Tina Chow was born in 1950, in Ohio, USA. Her birth name is Bettina Louise Lutz. Her father is German-American, and her mother is from Japan. In the mid-1960s, her family moved from America to Japan.
At this time, Tina Chow was only 15 years old and had a slim and tall figure. Thanks to that, she smoothly entered the modeling industry. Just two years later, she became a supermodel in Japan, appearing in countless fashion magazines.
The milestone for Tina Chow to reach international level was being published in the magazine Vogue America invited to take photos. During her modeling career, Tina worked with top-class photographers such as Helmut Newton, Cecil Beaton, Arthur Elgort… She was also painted by great artists such as Antonio Lopez, Andy Warhol. In addition, she became the muse of designers Yves St. Laurent and Issey Miyake (creator of Steve Jobs’ legendary shirt). She often interacts with A-list personalities such as Karl Lagerfeld, Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger…
In the late 1980s, Tina Chow tried her hand at jewelry design and was highly appreciated by experts. She also collaborated with Calvin Klein.
At her peak, Tina Chow was hailed as a style leader. While popular culture emphasizes glamor and disco, she differentiates herself with her minimalist style and short hair for her genderless beauty.
Tina Chow became a world fashion icon thanks to her minimalist style and genderless short hair.
Regarding her personal life, in 1972, the Asian supermodel married Michael Chow, son of opera master Chu Ham Phuong. Michael Chow is also the owner of the Mr. Chow is famous and also works in showbiz as an artist and actor. Architectural designer is also one of his jobs.
Tina changed her husband’s surname after getting married. The two have a daughter and a son together, born in 1974 and 1978 respectively. The daughter inherited her mother’s excellent genes and became an actress and model when she grew up.
At that time, the Chow couple were one of the most influential celebrities in New York. They once made the world admire the image of a happy couple. However, the seemingly dreamy marriage ended in November 1989.
According to Rankerthe reason Tina Chow and her husband divorced was because she had an affair with an actor Pretty Woman Richard Gere. They met in the late 1980s in Los Angeles. A friend recalled that Tina was dazzled by Richard. However, their love affair was short-lived.
After the divorce, Tina Chow abandoned the partying lifestyle that made her and her ex-husband famous among America’s upper class. She became an HIV/AIDS prevention activist after witnessing many friends die from this disease.
Tina Chow and her ex-husband Michael Chow were still passionate. They are famous for their lavish and wild parties.
What the 5X supermodel did not expect was that she was diagnosed with AIDS in June 1989. She was the first woman to publicly admit that she had the disease of the century due to heterosexual sex. At that time, this was unusual because people considered this disease only among gay men.
Tina did not reveal who she got the disease from. However, international media believes that she was infected with AIDS due to her relationship with French aristocrat Kim d’Estainville. Kim is bisexual, having sex with both men and women. He died of AIDS in January 1990. What makes people associate Kim and Tina together is that this man is present in the Japanese-American supermodel’s social circle. They even went back and forth when Tina was not yet divorced.
After getting sick, Tina continued her mission as an AIDS prevention activist. She moved to California, treating her illness with meditation and a macrobiotic diet. On January 24, 1992, Tina died of AIDS complications at her home at the age of 41.
Before leaving this world, she emotionally shared: “All my life I have been serious about relationships and have never been promiscuous, but it ended like this.”
This statement caused controversy in public opinion. They believe that a woman who has an affair with two men during marriage is not qualified to claim that she is not promiscuous.
Later, a close friend revealed that Tina slept with a total of 4 men throughout her life.
Tina Chow died at the age of 41 due to AIDS.
