The Emmy-winning stylist for Netflix blockbuster drama series Bridgerton who died with Covid was double-vaccinated with no underlying conditions, his devastated family have confirmed in a tribute.
UK-based Marc Pilcher, 53, died on Sunday just weeks after travelling to the US, where he was presented with an Emmy award in Los Angeles for outstanding hairstyling on the period drama.
It is understood the makeup artist tested negative for Covid multiple times to make the trip across the Atlantic and back, but became ill shortly after returning to Britain and deteriorated at the weekend.
Pilcher, who grew up in Chatham, Kent, was renowned in the industry for his work across a variety of West End shows, TV programmes and films – and received an Oscar nomination for his work on the 2018 film Mary, Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie.
In a statement via agency Curtis Brown, his family and friends confirmed that Pilcher was double-vaccinated with no underlying health condition. It is likely he received either a Pfizer or AstraZeneca jab.
Pilcher leaves behind his family, friends and his beloved cockapoo Yuri.
Bridgerton stars paid tribute to the stylist, with Phoebe Dynevor saying she was at a ‘loss for words’ while Irish actress Nicola Coughlan urged people to get vaccinated against Covid on social media.
Official data indicate it is very rare for fully-vaccinated people to die with Covid, with those having received two doses making up just one in 200 virus-related deaths in England in the first half of this year.
But vaccines aren’t perfect, and real-world data shows they cut the risk of dying by around 90 per cent.
Adults aged 45-64 faced a 0.37 per cent chance of dying of Covid before vaccines were widely rolled out — or 37 in every 10,000 who get infected, experts calculated. But that figure didn’t filter out adults without underlying illnesses, who face an even lower risk.
If vaccines cut the risk of dying by 90 per cent, like Government scientists believe, then officials would expect around 3 deaths out of every 10,000 adults aged 45-64 who get infected.
It is impossible to calculate an exact risk for individual people. But the figure will be even lower for adults aged 45-64 who don’t have any underlying illnesses.
Pilcher’s family and friends said in a statement: ‘It is with the deepest of hearts we confirm that Marc Elliot Pilcher, Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winning hair and makeup designer/stylist, passed away after a battle with Covid-19 on Sunday 3rd October 2021.
Marc Pilcher, 53, died on Sunday just weeks after travelling to the US, where he was presented with an Emmy award in Los Angeles for outstanding hairstyling on the period drama
Pilcher, who grew up in Chatham, Kent, was renowned in the industry for his work across a variety of West End shows, TV programmes and films – and received an Oscar nomination for his work on the 2018 film Mary, Queen of Scots starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie
This image posted to Pilcher’s Instagram account shows Pilcher (right) with his team of artists
Bridgerton, starring Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor, was a runaway success for Netflix in December of last year
Irish actress Nicola Coughlan, who plays wealthy heiress Penelope Featherstone in the Netflix series, shared the news of his death on social media
Thirty-three deaths were registered yesterday among people who tested positive for Covid
Just HOW deadly is Covid to people who’ve been fully vaccinated?
Before any coronavirus vaccines were rolled out, around 1 per cent of Britons who caught Covid were expected to die.
The risk was greatest for the elderly, who were prioritised in the NHS’s inoculation drive because of their vulnerability. Academics estimated 17 per cent of over-75s would succumb to the infection in the darkest days of the second wave.
But following the hugely successful immunisation campaign the risk has been cut drastically, with the infection-fatality rate (IFR) for over-75s now thought to stand at around 4 per cent.
And only 0.25 per cent of Britons — one in every 400 — who get infected are now expected to die, according to Cambridge University researchers.
However, no vaccine is perfect, and both trials and real-world data have repeatedly shown the current crop of jabs are weakest at preventing transmission.
No10’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) believe the jabs cut the risk of dying of Covid by at least 90 per cent. This means that for 100 unvaccinated people who would die of the illness, only 10 fatalities would be expected in a same-sized group of people given two jabs.
Before the vaccines, around one in every 270 adults aged 45-64 were expected to die. And the risk was even higher in people with underlying health conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.
This means that, if estimates from the Government’s top scientists are correct, out of every 10,000 adults aged 45-64 who caught Covid, 37 would have been expected to die before the advent of vaccines.
But for a same-sized group of fully-vaccinated adults in the same age bracket, only three would now be expected to succumb to the illness.
That calculation, however, doesn’t take into account any waning immunity from the jabs. Booster doses are already being offered to vulnerable residents in Britain and other countries in an effort to keep the elderly as protected as possible.
It is impossible to calculate an exact risk for individual people. But the figure will be even lower for adults aged 45-64 who don’t have any underlying illnesses.
Discussing the vaccines last week, Dr Omar Khorshid, president of the Australian Medical Association, said: ‘The vaccines that we have available to us against Covid are really effective.
‘But like all medical treatments, they’re not perfect.’
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‘Glamorous and extravagant, he brought his flair and style to every design. Never limited in his thought process for his creations, he pushed boundaries and created work never realized before.’
Coughlan said: ‘Marc was so passionate about his work and so tremendously talented. Not even a month ago he won his first Emmy award.
‘It’s a tragedy that he’s been taken so young when he had so much yet to do.
‘Please also use this as a reminder that Covid is still a very real and present danger, please get vaccinated and mask up to protect yourself and others.’
Dynevor, who played Daphne Bridgerton on the show, shared Coughlan’s Instagram post, adding ‘At a loss for words.’
Bridgerton actor Jamie Beamish tweeted: ‘Got a shock when I heard this earlier. Marc Pilcher was a lovely talented brilliant man.
‘It was him and his team that were the first port of call every morning on Bridgerton and he ran a trailer that made you happy to start the day, and you always looked great. Heartbreaking.’
Kelly Valentine Hendry, the head of casting for the show, said: ‘My thoughts are with Marc Pilcher’s family, friends and colleagues. I’m so sorry for your loss.’
Lynda J Pearce, assistant head hairstylist on Bridgerton, also paid tribute to Pilcher. She posted on Instagram: ‘Rest in peace my dear friend. I will love you forever and I will hold you safely in my heart always.’
The Office for National Statistics identified 256 ‘breakthrough deaths’ among the 51,281 Covid fatalities that occurred between January 2 and July 2.
More than 76 per cent of these patients were clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus, and had underlying conditions or weak immune systems.
The Government credits AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna’s jabs with saving 112,000 lives and averting 24 million Covid infections.
Rigorous trials have shown the vaccines to be completely safe for the vast majority of people, including children.
But there is a very small risk of side effects, which in an even smaller number of patients can be deadly.
Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines have been linked to heart inflammation known as myocarditis, particularly in young people.
And yesterday the Office for National Statistics declared that just nine people in Britain have died directly from any Covid vaccine.
However, scientists pointed out the number does not yet take into account dozens of deaths linked to AstraZeneca’s vaccine and rare blood clots.
According to his website, Pilcher began his career in 1988, after leaving college and landing a job in West End theatre, which he described as ‘the best place in the world to learn period hairdressing’.
It added: ‘This happy, creative atmosphere kept him working in theatre land and on tour for 15 years, until Marc started to get offers to work as a hair and makeup artist on TV. This then turned into positions on feature films, where he works today.
Bridgerton actor Jamie Beamish and Kelly Valentine Hendry, the head of casting for the show, also paid tribute to Pilcher
Nicola Coughlan (left and right, in Bridgerton) paid tribute to Pilcher on social media
Pilcher’s designs for Queen Charlotte, played by Golda Rosheuvel, helped win him an Emmy award for best period hair styling
In January, it was announced that the hit series had been renewed for a second season
‘Marc’s work has taken him all over the world and he feels privileged to work on such a wide variety of projects and with inspirational teams of people.’
In an interview with Vogue in February, designer Pilcher outlined some of his ideas when it came to working on Bridgerton.
He said: ‘First, I research paintings and books of the period, then I like to add my slant on the looks using the influences of other periods and old Hollywood movies.
‘I have a huge collection – I like to feed off that and mix them up with my historical knowledge to create the right look. The Regency look was based around the shapes of ancient Greece.
‘It then reemerged in the 1980s with the UK’s New Romantic scene – I’m sure it will pop up again, that beautiful Grecian shape for the women and quiffs for the men, and that use of makeup.’
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