MUMBAI: John Casablancas, the modeling agent who helped launch the careers of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer leaves for heavenly abode at 70.

The founder of Elite Model Management died of cancer in Rio de Janeiro. The pioneering agent is largely credited with bringing about the age of the supermodel through Elite, founded in Paris in 1972.

He steered the careers of women such as Heidi Klum, Gisele Bundchen and Andie MacDowell, turning models into recognisable celebrities in their