"Paul Starr is not a makeup artist, he is a face painter. He is the Gauguin de Visage."

That's what singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell called the former local resident who became one of the premier makeup men to the stars, as well as to top-notch models. Mitchell was just one of the many famous "A-list" clients the Kailua-born Vince-Paul Puanani Hipa had worked with throughout his remarkable career in fashion before his death Aug. 19 in Los Angeles.

According to his father, Starr died unattended in his Los Angeles home, his body found by a friend and neighbor, actress Rosanne Arquette.

Starr died nine days short of what would've been his 53rd birthday. His cremated remains were brought home to Hawaii last Friday. While services are still pending, Starr's father said that they are tentatively scheduled for Sept. 13 at St. Anthony's Church in Kailua.

Before Hipa reinvented himself as Paul Starr, his parents Ignatius and Jacqueline Hipa remember their son as the 1974 Roosevelt High School graduate "who tried to go on his own, first in Waikiki," then later Kauai and then the West Coast. He was inspired by movie stars of the old Hollywood studio system to pursue his dream of becoming a makeup artist.

While Starr had a loyal and notable client list that included such screen stars as Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Lindsay Lohan, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Rachel Weisz, Penelope Cruz and Renee Zellweger, his family still considered him "Paulie," what with his daily calls back home and annual Christmas visits.

"He was very humble with us and the family," said Ignatius Hipa. "He was actually somebody, but he acted like just Paul at home."

"We knew he was special," said Jacqueline Hipa, "but we didn't know he was this great in his field of work."

She said that her son was carrying a very busy work regimen that included working with pop star Pink the week before his death. "He called us Friday (Aug. 15) while we were having dinner," said Jacqueline Hipa, "and said his doctor told him that he probably had walking pneumonia and was making an appointment to see him the next day.

"But at 11 p.m. that Sunday, we were woken by the phone ringing, but nobody replied when we answered. The caller ID showed it came from Paul, but when tried to call him back, there was no response. That's when we knew something was wrong.

"Paul was a very private person and he respected his clients' privacy as well. If he didn't, and if things got back to him, things like that could've ruined his career. But he kept everything personal."

Besides the movie stars he worked with, he also worked with supermodels such as Kate Moss, Milla Jovovich, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Linda Evangelista on advertising and fashion magazine shoots.

He prepared actresses to walk down the red carpet before the Academy Awards ceremonies, among them Jennifer Garner, Tilda Swinton, Naomi Watts and Hilary Swank.

Starr delved into the pop music world, working on video shoots and making up performers like Madonna, Annie Lennox, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, David Bowie, Sting and even Bob Dylan for a Rolling Stone magazine cover shoot.

Starr was founding beauty editor of Flaunt magazine from 1998 to 2001, and in 2002 became the first makeup artist to work in-house with cosmetics giant Estee Lauder.

He was the 2004 Lucie Award Winner Make-Up Artist of the Year and winner of the Hollywood Style beauty tsar award the following year.

That year also saw the release of his book, "Paul Starr on Beauty: Conversations with Thirty Celebrated Women." The book revealed how his technique brought out his subjects' inner beauty.

Commenting on his passing, there are parting words on the home page of his Web site.

"We will miss you, Paul. 'The world just got a little less pretty.'"

Starr is survived by his parents and brothers Stan-Kirk Hipa of Coral Gables, Fla., and Joshua Hipa of Hilo.