The journalist and fashion icon Andre Leon Talley died at the age of 73 on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 in a New York hospital. He would have suffered a heart attack, according to Graydon Carter, founder of Air Mail.
ALT remained in memory for being an emblematic figure of vogue as creative director and then editor-in-chief for almost 30 years. He left the magazine in 2013 to join Number in its Russian version. He was seen at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding around the same time.
A true character, known for his humour, he had frequented the greatest like Andy Warhol who had taken him under his wing in the 1970s, before he became The Only Onenickname given to him The New Yorkerto recall that he was the first African-American creative director of vogue.
Close to fashion icon Anna Wintour, the two friends fell out 3 years ago. She blamed him for beingtoo old, too overweight and not cool enough.” On the occasion of the release of his book in 2020, the journalist returned to this friendly passion which had linked him to the popess of fashion. He then confided that he had kept “big emotional and psychological scars“of their separation. He had also paid tribute to another of his prestigious friends, Diana Vreeland, of whom he was the assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A few months later, in May 2020, for vulnerabilityhe affirmed all his affection for his former friend and colleague: “I will not criticize her (…) my book is an epistle to all those I love. It’s a love letter to Anna Wintour. I love him deeply.”
The journalist, who was nearly 2m tall, was widely noticed on the show America’s Next Top Model of which he was a judge alongside Tyra Banks, Jay Manuel and J.Alexander.