Marek Milewicz — the agent who helped further the careers of some of the biggest names in fashion, beauty and photography — died on Aug. 26 at 79. The cause of death was complications from Parkinson’s disease, Donna Cerutti, his business partner of more than 20 years, confirmed.

With a keen eye for idiosyncratic talent, Milewicz made a habit out of snapping up irrevocable artists such as Deborah Turbeville and Walter Chin and seeking out fresh, nascent creatives to represent. Turbeville, the late photographer and former fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar, as well as Horst P. Horst, one of the founders of classic fashion photography, were among Milewicz’s first clients at his company Marek & Associates, which he founded in 1978.

Milewicz eventually expanded his agency’s client pool to include hairstylists, prop stylists, makeup artists and fashion stylists. Bobbi Brown, Gad Cohen, Sonia Kashuk, Tomoko and Howard Fugler were among the list of creatives later tapped. Milewicz would go on to grow the company into a full-service boutique agency, partnering his artists to help produce a wide range of photo shoots.

“Marek was very good at creating teams. He seemed to understand who would work well together when introducing hair and makeup artists to photographers,” Cerutti told WWD. Cerutti and Milewicz met during her years at Harper’s Bazaar. “Marek had excellent relationships with many editorial magazines in Europe as well as the United States,” she remembered.

“I joined [Marek & Associates] in 1995. He and I complemented one another very well, and after a few years, he invited me to become his partner,” Cerutti continued. “Representing photographers and overseeing photo shoots can be very stressful, but working with my best friend made it enjoyable and I think our clients responded to our energy.” Indeed, they did.

Chin, a fashion and celebrity photographer, described Marek as a “great force” in his career. “A huge loss to us,” Chin wrote under Cerutti’s tribute post for Milewicz on Instagram. “He’ll be missed but forever be remembered.”

Milewicz is survived by his wife Felicia, his son Jan and his daughter-in-law lo Bottoms.