Fashion Icon Andre Leon Talley Dead At 73

Andre Leon Talley, a legendary fashion journalist who helped to shape Vogue during his decades-long association with the magazine, has died at age 73.

TMZ was the first to report that the flamboyant fashion icon had passed while hospitalized in White Plains, New York; a cause of death has not yet been revealed.

“Talley was instrumental to Vogue‘s vision and direction in the ’80s and ’90s, when he worked his way up the magazine ranks to eventually become the news director — which he helmed from ’83 to ’87 — and then ascended to Vogue‘s creative director in ’88,” wrote TMZ.

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After more than a decade as editor-at-large, Talley parted ways with Vogue in 2018, reportedly due to a falling out with editor-in-chief Anna Wintour; he described their relationship as “an iceberg” in his 2020 autobiography, The Chiffon Trenches, writing that Wintour is “not capable of simple human kindness.”

Talley cut an imposing figure in the fashion scene due to his height (he was six-foot-seven), his penchant for colourful caftans and his sheer flamboyance. He also advised the Obamas on fashion, introducing Michelle Obama to designer Jason Wu, who created her inaugural gown.

As Talley declared in an interview with the Irish Times, “I scorched the earth with my talent and I let my light shine.”