Oscar de la Renta, the fashion icon, the consummate professional, master of haute couture and the classic gentleman, died on Monday evening at his Connecticut home at age 82, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy and an imprint of the fashion industry worldwide. 

The celebrated Dominican Republic native died surrounded by family, friends and "more than a few dogs," according to a handwritten statement signed by his stepdaughter Eliza Reed Bolen and her husband, Alex Bolen. While the statement did not specify a cause of death, the Associated Press adds that De la Renta had spoken in the past of having cancer.

"While our hearts are broken by the idea of life without Oscar, he is still very much with us. Oscar's hard work, his intelligence and his love of life are at the heart of our company," the statement added. "All that we have done, and all that we will do, is informed by his values and his spirit."

For over four decades, the Dominican Republic native, who was born to a Dominican mother of Spanish descent (particularly Canarian) and a Puerto Rican father, has continued to wow with his timeless designs. His designs have been worn by first ladies Jaqueline Kennedy, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush and Michelle Obama to Hollywood A-listers on the red carpet, including Penelope Cruz, Zoe Saldana, Sandra Bullock, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner and Taylor Swift, among many others.

If you were a fan of "Sex and the City," you will recall fashionista Carrie Bradshaw's love affair with not only shoes, but for Oscar De la Renta. She gracefully donned one of his wedding gowns in the "Sex and the City: The Movie" along with a red rose in her hair. She also compared his designs to beautiful poetry. Bradshaw's affection for de la Renta is true to life, for actress Sarah Jessica Parker has worn many of his designs -- more recently at the 2014 Met Gala.

Celebrities shared their reactions and love for the icon on social media:

"Iconic legendary genius, gone but definitely not forgotten ... My heart goes out to the De La Renta family." - Actress Zoe Saldana, via Twitter

"So sad for the loss of this legend. Oscar de la Renta thank (you) for all the beauty and inspiration you shared with us." - "Project Runway" judge Nina Garcia, via Twitter

"He was just gracious and elegant and a gentleman. Mr. De la Renta loved women. And you saw it in every design that he did. He honored women's features, he honored our bodies. He wasn't afraid to pull back and let the woman be the star of the look. And I was just lucky to get to wear his designs and get to know him a little bit, just the tiniest bit, as a person." - Actress Jennifer Garner, speaking at an Elle magazine event in Los Angeles.

De la Renta didn't set out to be a fashion designer; instead, he left his native Dominican Republic at age 18 to study painting in Madrid, Spain, but soon found himself drawn to fashion. The wife of the U.S. ambassador reportedly saw some of his sketches and asked him to make a dress for her daughter -- a dress that landed on the cover of Life magazine.

This impressive feat then led to an apprenticeship with Cristobal Balenciaga, and then onto France where he worked for couture house Lanvin. By 1963, he was working for Elizabeth Arden couture in New York and in 1965 had launched his own label.

In 2004, he told the AP that his "Hispanic roots had worked their way into his designs."

"I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant," he said.

De la Renta resided in Manhattan and had a country home in Kent, Connecticut, where he was an avid gardener, but he often visited his native country where he also owned a home in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Wintour was a reportedly a frequent visitor and she compared traveling with him to traveling with the president.

The fashion legend was also considered to be a socialite along with his wife of 24 years, Annette, and they often hosted friends and neighbors and attended black-tie charity events.

It wasn't always about glamor for the elite. He made his designs accessible by launching a mid-priced line in 2004 and developing a dozen or so perfumes, AP points out.

His involvement in philanthropy included being a board member of The Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall and devoting time to children's charity, including New Yorkers for Children. He also helped fund schools and day-care centers in La Romana and Punta Cana in his native country.

"The Dominican Republic honored de la Renta with the order al Merito de Juan Pablo Duarte and the order of Cristobol Colon. In the United States, he received the Coty American Fashion Critics Award twice, was named womenswear designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2000 and also received a lifetime achievement award from the CFDA -- an organization for which he served as president in the 1980s," AP reports.

"In addition to his own label, de la Renta spearheaded the Pierre Balmain collection from 1993-2002, marking the first time an American designed for a French couture house, and he was awarded the French Legion d'Honneur as a Commandeur. He also received the Gold Medal Award from the king and queen of Spain."

De la Renta's creative genius continued to the end of his exhilarating life. While De la Renta gave up the title of chief executive of his company in 2004, handing over business duties to the Bolens, he remained actively designing and continuing to show his collections during New York Fashion Week.

Being in the presence of the legendary de la Renta, one just felt more elegant and feminine, even his name flowed like his impressive designs that celebrated the female form with a Latin-inspired twist that merged delicate beauty, sensuality, strength, style and sophistication.

Most every woman dreams of wearing a wedding dress made by De la Renta, which this writer can attest to, and while we can't all be George Clooney's new bride Amal Alamuddin, who wore his custom design in Venice, we can all celebrate the genuine craft that De la Renta put forth as if every woman he designed for was his mythical muse.

This writer was able to see a glimmer of that spirit when attending two of De la Renta's runway fashion shows at West 42nd Street in New York. There he once again dazzled the crowd, including Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour, singer/actor Justin Timberlake and iconic designers Valentino Garavani and Diane von Furstenberg, who were in attendance.

De la Renta also is survived by an adopted son from the Dominican Republic, Moises, a designer at the company. De la Renta's first wife, French Vogue editor Francoise de Langlade, died in 1983.