Lady Gaga has apologised after she described the death of model Rick Genest, AKA Zombie Boy, as a suicide before the cause of death has been established.

Genest died after falling from the balcony of his Montreal apartment on 2 August. His management company Dulcedo Management said: “The classification of his death is yet to be determined, contrary to reports.”

After tweeting about his death as a suicide, Lady Gaga, who had worked with Genest, said: “I apologise if I spoke too soon as there was no witnesses or evidence to support any conclusion for the cause of his death.” She sent her “deepest condolences” to his family and friends, and added: “The art we made was sacred to me and I was emotional, he was an incredible artist and his art and heart will live on. Rest In Peace You beautiful soul.”

As well as working with Gaga, Genest modelled for labels including Thierry Mugler and Jay-Z’s Rocawear, and appeared in the film 47 Ronin. He began amassing his striking tattoos in his late teens in Montreal, many created by artist Frank Lewis.

Montreal police initially told the media they were treating his death as a suicide, but his manager Karim Leduc told USA Today he believed it was an accident, saying: “He could have just lost balance.”