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Pioneering model Gail O’Neill has died aged 61 after a glittering career that spanned fashion and TV journalism.
Her old agent Stephanie Grill broke the news WWDadding that she did not immediately know the cause of death.
Born and raised in comfortable Westchester County, New York, Gail entered the corporate world after college with a marketing job at Xerox.
While there, however, she was discovered on a plane by married couple Chuck and Martha Baker, a photographer and stylist.
She launched a top career as a model, fronting brands from Diet Coke to Avon and magazines such as Essence and Mademoiselle – and posed in Vogue Italia’s famous ‘Black Issue’ in 2008 under legendary editor Franca Sozzani.
Pioneering model: Gail O’Neill has died aged 61 after a glittering career that spanned fashion and TV journalism; pictured 2006
Dearly Departed: Her longtime agent Stephanie Grill broke the news to WWD, adding that she did not immediately know the cause of death; pictured modeling for DKNY in 1992
As a child, Gail never dreamed of becoming a model, and in fact viewed her “tall, skinny body” as “some kind of cosmic joke… with me as the punch line.”
She thought about the American Natural History Museum: ‘Beauty, or the lack thereof, was not something I ever thought about as a young child.’
Gail mused, “In fact, I think children are much more adept at perceiving true beauty because they haven’t been corrupted by outside forces. The older we get, and the more we accept the mass media’s definition of beauty, the more likely we are to find fault with ourselves and others.’
However, her life changed when she boarded a work flight for Xerox and was discovered by Chuck and Martha Baker.
Her information was passed on to Frances Grill, Stephanie Grill’s mother, who became Gail’s agent for many years until her death.
Frances Grill was the founder and capo of Click Model, which was the launching pad for Gail’s life as a top model in the 1980s.
The crème de la crème of fashion glossies, from Glamor and Elle to various Vogues in different countries, splashed images of Gail across the cover.
During her heyday in the business, she posed for some of the most celebrated names in fashion photography, including Patrick Demarchelier, Annie Liebovitz, Steven Meisel and even Ansel Elgort’s father Arthur.
Legging it: She also modeled world-famous American designers, including Perry Ellis, for whom she was pictured on the catwalk in 1987
Hello beautiful: Gail is pictured walking for Calvin Klein in 1988
She also modeled world-famous American designers including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Perry Ellis, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors.
Gai, along with Naomi Campbell, was part of the Black Girls Coalition and an advocacy organization for black models founded by Iman and Bethann Hardison.
“She did it all and at a time when it was hard to get black girls to do anything,” Stephanie Grill said. ‘Customers were harassing me with phone calls (laughs), hoping for a cancellation. I would tell them, ‘No, you need to find someone else.’
Stephanie added, “People just loved her. They would book her again and again. She was a great beauty with this wonderful personality – so authentic and friendly. And she really had so much integrity. If she could, she would have worked five or six jobs a day. She had so many options. Everyone wanted to work with Gail O’Neill.’
However, her agent noted that modeling was “just a job for her,” and in conversations she usually preferred to discuss other topics.
“You don’t meet many Gail O’Neills,” Stephanie said fondly. “She always comes by to say hello and does things for other people.”
She scored a special career coup in 1994 when she modeled an American flag bikini while romping in the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Half a decade later, however, she decided to leave the fashion industry and switch to the world of television journalism.
After a stint at the new Early Show at CBS, she worked for nationally known news organizations such as CNN and HGTV.
Sensation: Gail is pictured modeling the Michael Kors Spring 1991 sportswear collection
She moved to Atlanta at the turn of the new millennium and lived there for the rest of her life, working as editor-in-chief at ArtsATL.
“This is such a tremendous loss,” said Scott Freeman, editor-in-chief of Arts ATL STAKE. “Gail was a wonderful journalist who cared about her profession and the people she wrote about.”
He added: “She was a strong ambassador for us in addition to her great journalism. She was also a good friend.”
Scott fondly recalled, “At times it felt like she was holding the city of Atlanta in the palm of her hand; whenever we went to an event together, everyone seemed to know her and want to be around her. Gail was special: modest, lively, caring. Just one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known.”