HOLLYWOOD—When anyone passes away, it’s always sad, however, when someone at the tender age of 24 dies, it’s even more solemn. Harry Brant, who found fame as a staple of New York’s elite fashion scene, was found dead on January 17, 2021. He died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
According to published reports, he struggled with addiction for several years and according to his family had been due to shortly enter rehab. Harry was the son of Stephanie Seymour, 52, one of the original supermodels and Peter M. Brant, 74, the publisher and art collector. He was friends with Naomi Campbell and Courtney Love. He started out in his teens, at the age of 16, he was one of the youngest people ever to be invited to Vogue’s Met Ball Gala, wearing an embroidered Yves Saint Laurent jacket.
His connections to the fashion and publishing world was evident. He actually lived in New York City with his brother Peter, often traveling to the family home in Connecticut, the 53-acre White Birch Stud Farm, named after Peter Brant senior’s White Birch newsprint-manufacturing company. Brant Sr., is an avid art collector, with an astonishing collection of over 1000 pieces, including works by Andy Warhol and many more artists.
Brant Sr., married supermodel Stephanie Seymour when he was 48 years old and she was 26 and still the top model for Victoria’s Secret. She was his trophy wife. He even had a nude bust of her by the artist Maurizio Cattelan known as “Trophy Wife.” The piece was mounted on a wall like a hunting trophy, according to published reports. This was Seymour’s second husband, her first was Tommy Andrews whom she married back in 1989-1990.
At the tender age of 16, she began dating 42-year-old John Casablancas, the head of Elite Model Management, who was at that time married to Jeanette Christiansen. The couple lived together before Seymour broke it off. Then the marriage to guitarist Andrews. The marriage failed yet resulted in the birth of her first son, Dylan Thomas Andrews in 1990.
It was by mid 1991, she began dating Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses. She appeared in two music videos by the group: “Don’t Cry” and my all time favorite “November Rain.” The couple were reportedly engaged, but they broke it up in February 1993. In August 1993, Rose sued Stephanie claiming she assaulted him and stole more than $100,000 worth of jewelry.
Seymour countersued claiming he was physically abusive. She even subpoenaed Erin Everly, Rose’s ex-wife, to testify that she was also abused by him. The lawsuits were eventually settled. Axl still, till this day has a tattoo of Seymour on his arm. He also kept the nanny for all these years, who babysat her son, Beta Lebeis. Beta became his longtime friend and confidant.
Then she began seeing, shortly after the breakup with Rose, Peter Brandt, who was married and father of five children. He is a billionaire publisher, real estate developer and art collector. She gave birth to the first son, Peter in 1993. Seymour and Brant married in July 1995 in Paris.
Seymour gave birth to the second son, Harry Joseph, in 1996 and to their third child Lily Margaret in 2004. She had four children. In March 2009, Seymour filed for divorce from Brant after almost 14 years of marriage. The couple reconciled in 2010. Sadly, all the money in the world did not save him. Harry passed away, on January 17, 2021.
Rose’s Scoop: Phil Spector, who was in jail for murder, died at the age of 81, on January 16.
