Fashion icon and former Vogue editor André Leon Talley has died at age 73, a statement released on his official Instagram confirmed late Tuesday.
"It is with great sadness we announce the passing of André Leon Talley on January 18, 2022 in New York," the statement read. "Mr. Talley was the larger-than-life, longtime creative director at Vogue during its rise to dominance as the world's fashion bible."
The cause of his death was not disclosed.
Talley was an American fashion journalist known for his work in shaping U.S. Vogue and fashion as a whole. He was the magazine's fashion news director from 1983 to 1987 and its creative director from 1988 to 1995. He was later made editor-at-large, a position he held until 2013.
Talley, who later became the head of Numéro Russia magazine, remained an occasional contributor to Vogue following his departure as editor, and in 2019, wrote a piece honoring his late friend, designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in February of that year.
Apart from his contributions to Vogue, the six-foot-six star, known and loved for his sense of humor, honesty and loud, luxurious personal style -- especially when it came to designer caftans, was an author, curator and TV personality. He starred in "America's Next Top Model" for four seasons, as a judge, made cameos on "Empire" and the first "Sex and the City" movie, dressed and profiled then-first lady Michelle Obama for Vogue, had a front row seat at the most prestigious couture shows around the world, became the muse and confidant of many designers -- including Oscar de la Renta, whom he curated a museum exhibition for in 2018 -- and, for many years, was the right-hand man of fashion's leading lady: Anna Wintour.
In 2017, filmmaker Kate Novack released a documentary, "The Gospel According to Andre," about the style legend -- starting from his humble upbringing to his rise to the top of the fashion industry.
Throughout his career, the Durham, North Carolina, native made efforts to introduce more culturally diverse voices into the overwhelmingly white fashion industry and spoke out about his struggles with racism. In his 2020 book, "The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir," he recalled the emotion he felt when Edward Enninful was named the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue. That same year, Talley sent shockwaves across the fashion world when he spoke out about the lack of Black talent at Vogue. "At one point, I was the only Black person on Anna’s staff," he told MailOnline.
In his 2003 memoir, "A.L.T.," Talley described his childhood in Durham, where he was raised by his grandmother and worked as a taxi driver to save money. When it was time for college, he enrolled in North Carolina Central University, where he majored in French, and later, got a scholarship to Brown University, for his master's. Soon after graduating, Talley got his first job in fashion as a volunteer assistant to Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Once inside the fashion bubble, he landed a position at Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, where his career as a journalist took off, and later moved around to WWD, Vanity Fair and Vogue.
Talley had largely stayed off social media since 2021, when he was involved in a financial mess over the ownership of the Westchester mansion where he lived since 2004, and which previously belonged to the former CEO of Manolo Blahnik.
After hearing of his death, fashion insiders and friends have taken to social media to share their condolences and honor his memory.
Designer Diane von Furstenberg wrote on Instagram, "Good bye darling André ❤️
