July 15 [Updated 16:45 EDT] -- Fashion designer Gianni Versace, who worked with a number of recording artists during his career, was shot dead outside of his Miami Beach home Tuesday morning.

At about 9 a.m., the 50-year-old designer was returning to his Ocean Drive mansion in Miami's South Beach after breakfast when he was shot at point blank range by an unknown assailant. Authorities say that the suspect they are looking for is a white male in his mid-20s clad in a gray top, black shorts, and a white cap.

A spokesperson at nearby Jackson Memorial Hospital confirmed the designer's death.

In a press conference on Tuesday, a police spokesperson reportedly said that the designer's murder appeared to be a "targeted" attack and not an act of random violence.

Versace made a name for himself in the 80s with fashion shows that often seemed more like rock concerts. The designer often sent his models down the catwalk while music blared, lights danced, and video

screens flashed.

Talking to MTV "House of Style" correspondent Todd Oldham at last fall's "Fashionably Loud" taping, Versace said of the marriage of fashion and music, "They were born together. Even in the Renaissance (musicians) dressed up to play.

The designer's rock-like approach earned him many celebrity fans, and some (like Madonna and Jon Bon Jovi) have actually modeled for Versace.

The world lost a great artist, and I lost a great friend," Bon Jovi said of the designer's death.

[article id="1451568"]"Versace has his feet firmly planted in traditionalism, but every now and then he brings in an air of theatricality,"[/article] Sylvester Stallone told MTV in 1991, explaining the designer's appeal. [article id="1451568"]"So, if you feel like being a bit bold, his clothes kind of bridge that gap." [1MB QuickTime][/article]

Model Naomi Campbell was also a fan of Versace's vision, telling MTV at the same 1991 Versace show, [article id="1451570"]"I like the clothes. I don't like a lot of designers, and this is one of them that I like." [750k QuickTime][/article]

Last year, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher was so impressed by a Versace show, that the singer jumped onto the catwalk to sashay himself. The two had talked about Gallagher doing some modeling for Versace, but a deal was never reached.