Fashion editor Richard Buckley, husband of American fashion designer Tom Ford, has died at the age of 72. The announcement was made in the form of a statement issued by representatives of Ford’s eponymous fashion brand.
“It is with great sadness that Tom Ford announces the death of his beloved husband of 35 years, Richard Buckley. Richard passed away peacefully at their home in Los Angeles on Sunday night with Tom and their son Jack by his side. He died of natural causes after a prolonged illness,” it read.
Buckley was the editor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes International for six long years, before stepping down in 2005. He leaves behind a career spanning over 25 years, having held many coveted positions in the fashion industry: from fashion editor at Women’s Wear Daily, to social editor at Vanity Fair and European editor of the now-defunct Mirabella magazine.
Buckley had also contributed to Italian Vogue and New York Magazine, a CNN report states.
Tributes poured in for the journalist, with fashion designer Stella McCartney remembering him as “a gentle man”. “…grace and charm filled the room when he was in it. His intellect and passion for knowledge always blew me away, and the sparkle in his eyes dove so deep into your heart each time you were blessed enough to feel it,” she wrote in an Instagram caption.
“To call Richard a dear and beloved friend is a privilege, and to know the huge hole left in your lives fills me with deep, deep sadness. He was so loved, so respected and so madly and passionately dedicated to you, Tom and Jack, that his life was fully complete,” McCartney, who is godmother to Ford and Buckley’s son Jack, continued.
“We love you Richard and we will miss you so very much. Your fight has ended but you will always live on in our hearts…” she wrote.
According to the CNN report, in 2016, Ford had said it was “love at first sight” when he first bumped into Buckley in an elevator at a fashion show in 1986. Their relationship was believed to have started as a “whirlwind”, with Ford telling journalist Jess Cagle, “By the time that elevator landed on the ground floor I thought, ‘You’re the one.’ That’s it. Click. Sold.”
Per the report, Buckley and Ford became a fashion power couple in the 1990s. The couple “worked in fashion capitals around the world”, including stints in Milan and Paris. They welcomed their son in September 2012 and got married in 2014.
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