Vince Camuto Death - One of the most respected and widely recognized women's footwear designers has died from cancer at the age of 78.

Vance Camuto died on Wed, Jan. 21 at his home in Greenwich, Conn. Reports indicate that he died of cancer, but it is unclear how long he has battled with the illness.

Camuto's Nine West Group Inc. was one of the most influential female footwear lines in the 80s and 90s. He founded the company in the late 70s alongside Jerome Fisher. And just over two decades after Nine West was founded, he sold it for about $900 million to the Jones Group.

After moving on from Nine West, Camuto founded an eponymous company - Camuto Group - which is into designing, creating and distributing women's footwear. Over the next decade, he partnered with several big names to launch footwear lines such as Dillard's, Jessica Simpson and Tory Bursch. Camuto also acquired licenses for many renowned footwear brands including Lucky Brand Jeans, Max, Azria, BCBGirls and BCBG. 

But perhaps the most remarkable of Camuto's enterprises is his eponymous Vince Camuto label, which is reportedly worth more than $1 billion and operates in up to 62 countries across the world. Camuto also expanded into clothing and assesories.

Since Vince Camuto's death was announced yesterday, many fans and fashion pundits have sent condolences to his family and reminisced on his superb work on social media.

Jessica Simpson, who worked with Camuto, shared her feelings about the death of Vince Camuto on her Instagram account. "You are my mentor, my family, the creator of all my dreams. I will forever walk in your shoes...you made them. #brokenheart," she wrote.

Reports indicate that Camuto died in his home surrounded by his wife Louise Camuto and his 5 children.