Gia Marie Carangi (January 29, 1960 – November 18, 1986) was an American model, considered by many to be the first woman to be titled as supermodel. She was featured on the cover of many magazines, including multiple editions of Vogue and Cosmopolitan, and appeared in advertising campaigns for luxury fashion houses such as Armani, Dior, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent.After Carangi became addicted to cocaine and heroin, her career rapidly declined. In 1986, at age 26, she died of AIDS-related complications. Believed to have contracted it from a contaminated needle, she became one of the first famous women to die of the disease. Her life was dramatized in the 1998 HBO television film, Gia. It was directed by Michael Cristofer, and Angelina Jolie starred as Carangi.
