André Leon Talley, a titan of fashion journalism who served as creative director and editor-at-large at American fashion and lifestyle magazine, Vogue, died on Tuesday at a hospital in White Plains, New York.
The greatly influential multi-hyphenate worked as a fashion journalist for the American Vogue for decades and continued to write for a number of other big-name publications including, Women’s Wear Daily, W and a brief sting for the New York Times.
As one of the most celebrated personas in the fashion industry, Talley’s eye for trends broke barriers for other journalists and designers following suit.
He was a regular red carpet correspondent during gala events and served as a judge on “America’s Next Top Model.”
Talley’s death was confirmed through his official Instagram page. The cause of the death was however not stated.
Among Talley’s various impacts, his push to include more Black voices among designers and models was a major force in helping to bring diversity to the runway.
In the election ahead of the Obama administration, Talley advised the soon-to-be-elected family on fashion, collaborating with designer Jason Wu.
In May 2020, he released a memoir about his life and career, titled The Chiffon Trenches, which chronicles his improbable rise from the front porch of his grandmother's home in Durham, North Carolina, to the front rows of fashion.