Pioneering model Gail O’Neill has died aged 61 after a glittering career that spanned both fashion and TV journalism.
Her longtime agent Stephanie Grill has 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 position at Xerox.
However, while there, she was discovered on a plane by couple Chuck and Martha Baker, a photographer and stylist.
She went on to top flight as a model, with brands from Diet Coke to Avon and magazines such as Essence and Mademoiselle – as well as posing in the famous 2008 ‘Black Issue’ of Vogue Italia under its legendary editor Franca Sozzani.
Trailblazing model: Gail O’Neill has died aged 61 after a glittering career that spanned both fashion and TV journalism; photo 2006
Dearly departed: Her longtime agent Stephanie Grill broke the news to WWD, adding that she did not immediately know the cause of death; photo modeling for DKNY in 1992
As a child, Gail never had dreams of being a model, and in fact considered her ‘tall, slender frame’ to be ‘some sort of cosmic joke…with me being the punchline’.
She went to the American Museum of Natural History: ‘Beauty, or lack thereof, was not something I thought about as a young child.’
Gail opined: ‘In fact, I think children are much more adept at perceiving true beauty because they haven’t been corrupted by outside forces. Likewise, the older we get, and the more we buy into 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, the mother of Stephanie Grill, who became Gail’s agent for years until her death.
Frances Grill was the founder and capo of Click Model, which served as the launch pad for Gail’s life as a top model in the 1980s.
The crème de la crème of the fashion glossies, from Glamor and Elle to various Vogues in various 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 has also modeled world-renowned American designers, including Perry Ellis, for whom she is pictured on the runway in 1987.
Hello, beautiful: Gail walks for Calvin Klein in 1988
She has also modeled world-renowned American designers including Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Perry Ellis, Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors.
Along with Naomi Campbell, Gai was an early part of the Black Girls Coalition, and advocacy group 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 on anything,” Stephanie Grill said. ‘Clients would pester me with calls (laughs), hoping for a cancellation. I would tell them, “No, you have to find someone else.”
Stephanie added: ‘People just loved her. They would rebook her and rebook her. She was a great beauty with this beautiful personality – so authentic and kind. And she really had so much integrity. She would have had five or six jobs a day, if she could. She had so many options. Everyone wanted to work with Gail O’Neill.’
However, her agent noted that being a model was ‘just a job for her’, and in conversation she would usually discuss other topics instead.
“You don’t meet many Gail O’Neills,” Stephanie said fondly. “She always pops in to say “hello” and do things for other people.’
She scored a particular career coup in 1994 when she modeled an American flag bikini while frolicking in the pages of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Half a decade later, however, she decided to leave the fashion industry and made a move to the world of broadcast 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 sportswear collection in spring 1991
She moved to Atlanta at the dawn of the new millennium and lived there for the rest of her life, working as an editor-in-chief at ArtsATL.
“This is such a great loss,” said Scott Freeman, executive editor of Arts ATL BET. “Gail was a wonderful journalist who cared about her art, and the people she wrote about.”
He added: ‘She has been a strong ambassador for us in addition to her excellent journalism. She was also a dear friend.’
Scott fondly recalled, ‘Sometimes it felt like she held the city of Atlanta in the palm of her hand; whenever we went to an event together, it seemed like everyone knew her and wanted to be around her. Gail was special: humble, vivacious, caring. Simply one of the most incredible people I’ve ever known.’