Andre Leon Talley, Former Vogue Editor-at-Large and Fashion Icon, Dies at 73
thewrap.comdied Tuesday at a hospital in White Plains, New York. He was 73; his cause of death has not been made public.Talley became a widely celebrated fashion icon during his 6-decade career, most notably at Vogue, where he served as fashion news director from 1983-1987 and then as the magazine’s creative director until 1995.
He left Vogue in 1995 to work for W, but returned returned in 1998 as editor-at-large, a role he held until leaving Vogue in 2013 to pursue other projects.
Born in Washington, D.C. in 1948, Talley grew up in the south during segregation. He attended North Carolina Central University, which he followed with a scholarship to Brown University, where he earned a MA in French literature in 1972.Moving to New York City, Talley soon earned a job working for Andy Warhol at Interview Magazine, leading to stints at Women’s Wear Daily, W and then the New York Times before moving to Vogue.
He also used his position and influence to urge designers to include Black models and he frequently called out racism in the fashion world.
Read more on thewrap.com