Pioneering Fashion Journalist André Leon Talley Dies At 73
Newsy
Dressed in his signature sweeping capes or colorful caftans, he was a regular in the front row of fashion shows in New York and Europe for decades.
André Leon Talley, a towering and highly visible figure of the fashion world who made history as a rare Black editor in an overwhelmingly white industry, has died. He was 73.
The death Tuesday of Talley, the influential former creative director and editor at large of Vogue magazine, was confirmed on his Instagram page early Wednesday. No details were given as to his cause of death, but he was known to have had health struggles in recent years. Vogue said in its obituary that he died of a heart attack.
Dressed in his signature sweeping capes or colorful caftans, Talley was a regular in the front row of fashion shows in New York and Europe for decades, or atop the famous steps at the Met Gala. At 6-feet-6 inches tall, he cut an imposing and unforgettable figure; a Vogue staffer called him "the pharoah of fabulosity," the magazine wrote.