A celebrity stylist best known for starring on The Oprah Winfrey Show was mysteriously found dead in a swimming pool on top of his lavish apartment building.
Christopher Jon Hopkins, 61, also known as ‘The Makeover Guy’, was found unresponsive in the pool around 10:20pm Saturday on the roof of his apartment complex in Minneapolis.
Authorities said Hopkins had been swimming in the pool for some time before he fell unconscious, and it remains unclear what caused him to pass out in the water.
He was raced to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The designer’s husband of 37 years Robert Lindquist told the Star Tribune that Hopkins was an ‘amazing man’, and said that ‘worldwide, people were fans of his.’
Hopkins first appeared on Oprah in 1996 and then again in 1999, and made his name as a celebrity stylist and makeover expert, working with stars including Hillary Clinton and actress Lauren Holly.
He was also a renowned beauty author, and in 2008, he published the bestselling book ‘Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45’, which saw him make a number of TV appearances aimed at middle-aged women.
Recently, Hopkins launched a YouTube channel that amassed over 500,000 subscribers.
His YouTube series, titled ‘Makeoverguy Appearance Studios’, shared makeup and beauty tips for women, and the channel last shared a clip on Monday – two days after Hopkins passed away.
Lindquist said he has been left in the dark over what happened to his husband that caused his death.
He said he is still waiting to hear from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office for details about what led up to Hopkins’ passing in the swimming pool.
Hopkins opened his first salon, the Christopher Hopkins Salon, in 1990 in the same building as a number of local broadcasting stations, including KSTP and KSTP-TV in Minnesota.
There, he took on the role as designer and stylist for many on-air anchors and reporters.
He got his start on TV as a guest on local Minneapolis talk show Good Company, and by 1994 he opened a new salon, the Christopher Hopkins Image Center, in Minneapolis.
In 1996, he got his big break as he made his first appearance alongside Oprah Winfrey, and he also appeared on HGTV and the Today Show.
Alongside his work as a celebrity stylist, Hopkins was also a baritone singer who performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Erie Philharmonic, and the Hannover Radio Philharmonic in Germany.
His 1999 debut song A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square was nominated for the 1999 Gay Lesbian American Music Awards.
