Model agent Eileen Ford has died.

The legendary founder of the world renowned Ford Models - which signed the likes of Twiggy, Christie Brinkley, Christy Turlington Burns and Grace Jones - passed away in a hospital in Morristown, New Jersey, aged 92 on Wednesday(09.07.14).

Eileen - who was famous for her encouraging and nurturing approach to models starting out in the industry - set up the business from her Manhattan Flat with her husband Jerry in 1946 and frequently invited young hopefuls to live with her to help them adjust to life in the Big Apple.

She is survived by her four children Jamie, Billy, Lacey and Katie - who took over the business when Eileen retired in 1995.

Laura Bailey, who was signed to Ford Models in the Nineties, told Vogue.co.uk: ''Eileen's influence, vision and kindness will be remembered and celebrated inside and outside the fashion industry.

''The stories of life with Eileen were legendary, and my early Manhattan days were very much shaped by the Ford Models family, then run by Katie and her team. It's a time in my life I'll always treasure. She was one of a kind.''