Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Coco Rocha, Kim Kardashian, and Kerry Washington are among the celebrities taking to social media to honor the life of legendary journalist and fashion icon André Leon Talley.
Talley, the boundary-breaking Black fashion legend and longtime Vogue editor, died on Tuesday in New York at the age of 73. His cause of death has not been revealed.
A singular voice, Talley rose through the fashion ranks at WWD, Vanity Fair and House and Garden, but it was his tenure at Vogue that defined his illustrious career. Talley chronicled his incredible highs and dramatic lows in “The Chiffon Trenches,” his 2020 memoir.
Tributes have been pouring in on social media, with many honoring his larger-than-life persona, kindness, and flamboyant style.
Designer Diane von Furstenberg remembered her flamboyant friend on Instagram on Tuesday night, writing: “Good bye darling André… no one saw the world in a more glamorous way than you did … no one was grander and more soulful than you were…the world will be less joyful! I have loved you and laughed with you for 45 years…. I miss your loud screams …I love you soooo much.”
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Marc Jacobs also paid tribute to Talley, writing on Instagram: “I am in shock. You championed me and you have been my friend since my beginning. Our chats, the moments we shared….oh my friend. You and your passions were larger than life. I love you and I will miss you dear Andre. Rest In Peace.”
Photographer Nigel Barker, who starred with Talley in long-running reality show “America’s Next Top Model,” wrote on Twitter: “Rest In Peace my great friend and mentor André Leon Talley Folded hands a true legend and change maker who paved the way for diversity and inclusion in the fashion industry. You will be missed.”
In a long statement posted to Instagram, supermodel Coco Rocha wrote, “I’m so sad to hear that my friend, the incredible Andre Leon Talley, has passed away. He was a legendary figure in fashion and a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. I know over the next few days much will be mentioned of the blazing trail he forged as a black man from the segregated south who found his place in the epicenter of fashion. Beyond the larger-than-life persona, I knew him personally as a sweet and genuinely kind human being. He and I were Westchester County neighbors for much of the last decade and he would often check in on my family and I. In the last email he sent me, we were discussing having tea and introducing him to my newest baby girl, Iley. His final departing words to me were ‘Nothing matters in this world but family and love, and you have IT’. I hope, in the moments before he passed, he recalled how much he also was loved by the extended family he had fostered over many decades in this industry. He will be missed. 🖤 #AndreLeonTalley.”
Actress Kerry Washington honored Talley on Instagram with, “Oh Andre! Heaven is not ready for you darling!!!!!! The whole afterlife is going to be just too fabulous now. Ugh! You blessed us! Sir! You blessed us with your charm and wit and your taste for the exceptional. You will shine so brightly from the heavens that we will know what true stardom looks like. And we will gaze up at you always. In awe. And with gratitude. Rest In Peace #AndreLeonTalley.”
“Love you Andre,” Kim Kardashian wrote alongside a picture of her and the fashion icon. She shared the post via Instagram Stories. Cardi B also shared the news of Talley’s death via Instagram Stories with the caption, “Rest in Fashion.”
Paris Hilton shared a photo with Talley to her Instagram story writing “RIP @andretalley” alongside sad face, praying hands, and heart emojis, while actress Viola Davis shared: “RIP Andre Leon Talley. Rest well King.”
Actress Cynthia Erivo posted a video tribute to Instagram of the former Vogue editor writing, “A devastating loss for fashion today. Rest In Peace Mr Andre Leon Talley.” And, Andy Cohen shared touching words on “Watch What Happens Live,” telling viewers, “I’m a little off right now because during the break, we got news that our dear friend of the clubhouse André Leon Talley has passed away.”
Bette Midler wrote on Twitter: “I’m sorry to say the extraordinary #AndreLeonTalley has died. He was such a force, & believed in the magic of Fashion & its illusions with all his being. His life was a saga of great highs, great lows, the dramatic, the ridiculous, and the endless pursuit of beauty. Love & RIP.”
And, Whoopi Goldberg, summed up how much of the fashion world feels, writing on Twitter: “…Just in time for the front line at fashion week in Heaven, Mrs Vreeland, Coco Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld ..and now Andre Leon Talley. R.I.P. Unforgettable in every way…”
See more of Talley through the years.
