Niki Taylor Lost A Friend In Death Of Sister

What will become of Niki Taylor without her little sister?

Those who watched the two young women grow up together in the swirl of flashing bulbs worry that Krissy Taylor's unexpected death from asthma July 2 will be a devastating blow to the supermodel with the picture-perfect life.

"They couldn't have been closer if they were twins," says Jean Renard, Niki Taylor's manager. "Niki has lost not just her sister, but her very best friend."

Niki Taylor, 20, whose face has graced more than 100 glossy magazine covers and has made millions on international runways since she got her big break at 14, has declined to talk to the media.

Family representatives say she spent the week after Krissy's death at her parents' home in Pembroke Pines, Fla. It was Niki who found Krissy, 17, unconscious on the floor of her parents' living room.

"This is going to be very hard on Niki," Renard says. "There was such a profound trust and love between those girls. They looked alike in pictures, but off-camera they were even more alike. They even moved alike."

Inseparable

By all accounts, Niki and Krissy, who was closing in on her sister's fame in the fashion world, were inseparable.

They shared sandwiches and makeup tips during shoots; sneaked into shopping malls together, hoping to go undetected by fans; bought country-music CDs for each other; and talked just about every day, no matter how far from home their shoots took them.

On Niki's professional bio, she even listed hanging out with her sisters (there is an older sister, Joelle, a homemaker) among her favorite things.

"You just had to watch them to see how close they were," said family friend Isabel Dassinger of New Jersey. "They'd be watching TV together and Niki would have her head on her sister's shoulder. Niki was so thrilled the first time they did a runway show together. She was so encouraging and helpful. There was no competition at all between them."

That's a rarity in the fashion world, says Jan Planit, vice president for IMG Models in New York, which represented both sisters.

And "it's not very common for sisters in general," she says. "They were not jealous of each other at all. The job was always secondary. Their relationship and friendship was first."

The sisters were known for supporting each other's careers, says Reinaldo Herrera of South Beach's Big Time Productions, which handles many of the top fashion shoots in South Florida. In fact, Niki invited Krissy to pose with her on several top magazine covers to help her get exposure.

Krissy debuted on the Milan runways at age 13 because she happened to be there hanging around with Niki.

"When Krissy was younger, Niki was like her mother, making sure she was eating lunch and that she wasn't too tired or hot when she was working," Herrera says. "Sometimes one would come to the other's shoot just to help with clothes or something."

At age 14, Niki became the youngest girl ever to land a deal to advertise cosmetics, with L'Oreal. After that, her career took off. She left Miami Beach-based Irene Marie Models at 18, when her contract ran out, and moved to IMG. By then she was a big star.

Krissy began her modeling career when she was 10, in the children's division of Irene Marie Models.

The sisters' parents, Ken, a retired state trooper, and Barbara, have kept close watch over their careers.

Two years ago, Barbara Taylor publicly lashed out at Cosmopolitan for running a cover shot of Niki that she considered "cheap." And, infuriated by the headline that accompanied her 18-year-old daughter's picture - "Why Can't a Woman Make Love Like a Man (And Stay Uninvolved)" - she unsuccessfully implored Helen Gurley Brown to scrap the cover.

Both sisters have made a career out of their healthy girl-next-door looks. And most people who knew them say they weren't just posing.

Those in New York and South Beach fashion circles say they were surprised by early speculation that Krissy might have taken drugs or had an eating disorder.

"Neither girl has ever been known to use any kind of drug," says IMG Senior Vice president Chuck Bennett. "They were both very professional."

Preliminary autopsy reports pointed to heart failure that may have been caused by Primatene Mist, the over-the-counter bronchial spray Krissy used two hours before she was found unconscious.

But Broward County's chief medical examiner later announced that follow-up tests showed she died of bronchial asthma, a previously undiagnosed condition that brought on cardiac arrhythmia, a rapid irregular heartbeat. He said it was possible but not likely that Primatene Mist contributed to the heart arrhythmia and her death.

She had no alcohol or illegal drugs in her system when she died and there was no evidence of eating disorders.

Home interests

The sisters were known for keeping a low profile after hours. "They were really homey people," says Jauretsi Saizarbitoria, promotions director at Paper Magazine in New York and formerly the concierge at the Raleigh Hotel in South Beach.

Niki, married to Miami Hooters football coach Matt Martinez, lives near her parents' home in Pembroke Pines. Krissy spent a lot of her time helping Niki with her twins, Hunter and Jake, born in December. For fun, the two young women rode water bikes and went to movies, friends say.

The fashion industry is waiting to see how Niki emerges from the death of her sister.

"We expect that she will take some time off, but we have no idea what will happen later," says Jan Planit of IMG.

"This is the type of tragedy that doesn't go away, but Niki is strong and very much a professional," said Renard, her manager. "Niki is the kind of person who will survive adversity."