The recent death of Gail O'Neill, at age 60, has shaken fashion and journalism circles, highlighting a career marked by excellence and authenticity. News of her death has spread through Instagram and has been confirmed by her agency.
According to Stephanie Grill, an agent with Click Model who had represented O'Neill for many years, O'Neill is believed to have been at his home in Atlanta at the time of his death. At the moment she has not revealed the cause of his death.
Her foray into the world of fashion was a matter of destiny. After a chance meeting with photographer Chuck Barry at JFK airport in 1985, the life of this Wesleyan University graduate took a radical turn.
She went from working in marketing and sales for Xerox to becoming the face of the cover of British Vogue in March 1986, thanks to the vision of Frances Gill, founder of Click Model. This leap in her career not only catapulted her, but she was part of a broader recognition of black models in an industry that was beginning to embrace diversity.
Born into a Jamaican immigrant family in Westchester, New York, O'Neill never let adversity dampen her spirit. Despite the criticism and challenges she faced early in her career, she joined the Black Girls Coalition, an initiative led by Bethann Hardison and Iman, which fought against racism and lack of representation in Fashion.
His commitment to social causes was reflected both in his activism and in his refusal to participate in tobacco advertising campaigns or in companies with investments in South Africa during the apartheid era, one of the darkest in the African country.
Beyond fashion, O'Neill delved into journalism, becoming a correspondent for The Early Show on CBS in 1999, and later contributing to CNN and HGTV. His move to Atlanta in 2000 marked the beginning of a period in which he collaborated with ArtsATL.org and his voice was heard on NPR, through WBAE.
