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Karl Lagerfeld's ashes to be scattered with the remains of his mother and former lover

Karl Lagerfeld will be cremated, Chanel have confirmed. [Photo: Getty]
Karl Lagerfeld will be cremated, Chanel have confirmed. [Photo: Getty]

Karl Lagerfeld, who died Tuesday at the age of 85, will be cremated and his ashes mixed with those of both his late mother, Elisabeth Bahlmann, and his late lover, Jacques de Bascher.

The late creative director of Chanel first announced his intention to be cremated, and for his ashes to be mixed with his mother’s, in an interview with Numéro magazine in April 2018.

“I’ve asked to be cremated and for my ashes to be dispersed with those of my mother,” he told the publication.

‘His wishes will be respected,’ a spokesperson for Chanel confirmed to the Mail Online.

As for a ceremony, Lagerfeld is reported to have previously said: “There will be no funeral. I’d rather die!”.

French newspaper Le Monde have today reported Lagerfeld’s cremated remains will also be mixed with the ashes of his lover, de Bascher, in addition to his mother’s.

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De Bascher, a model who was well-known by the fashion crowd in 1970s Paris, was in a relationship with Lagerfeld for 18 years before the latter passed away from AIDs in 1985.

Lagerfeld had kept an urn of his lover’s ashes ever since his death, the publication has said.

The relationship – said to have been loving but not physical – is chronicled in journalist Marie Ottavi’s 2017 title, ‘Jacques de Bascher, dandy de l’ombre’.

Lagerfeld told Ottavi: “I infinitely loved that boy but I had no physical contact with him. Of course, I was seduced by his physical charm.”

“I’m a total puritan, but I found Jacques’ adventures amusing. We couldn’t be further apart. I am a Calvinist toward myself, and totally indulgent toward others.

The title also covers de Bascher’s alleged relationship with the late Yves Saint Laurent, which Lagerfeld himself addressed.

“Of course I knew about the affair with Saint Laurent,” Lagerfeld told Ottavi.

“I didn’t hold him accountable. I only wanted to see the bright side of Jacques. I was unaware of what he kept in the shadows.”

Yahoo Style UK has contacted Chanel for comment.

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