Trailblazing model Dayle Haddon dies from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

NEW HOPE, Pa. — Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist and trailblazing former “Sports Illustrated” model who fought ageism by re-entering the industry as a widow, has died at a home in Pennsylvania of what authorities say was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Authorities in Bucks County found Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom Friday morning after emergency responders were notified of an unconscious person in the Solebury Township home. A 76-year-old man, later identified as Walter J. Blucas of Erie, was hospitalized in critical condition.

Respondents discovered high levels of carbon monoxide in the property and city police said Saturday that investigators determined “a defective flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak.” Two medics were taken to a hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.

As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated. According to IMDb.com, she also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to the 1990s , including 1994’s “Bullets Over Broadway,” starring John Cusack.

Haddon left modeling after giving birth to her daughter Ryan in the mid-1970s, but was forced to return to work after her husband’s death in 1991. This time she found the modeling industry much less friendly: “They said to me: ‘At 38 you are not viable’” Haddon told The New York Times in 2003.

Haddon worked a menial job at an advertising agency and began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market for selling beauty products to aging baby boomers. She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, followed by Estée Lauder and then L’Oréal, where she spent more than a decade promoting the company’s anti-aging products. She also hosted beauty segments for CBS’s “The Early Show.”

“I continued to model, but in a different way,” she told The Times, “I became a spokesperson for my age.”

In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organization focused on advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.”

Haddon was born in Toronto and started modeling as a teenager to pay for ballet lessons. She started her career with the Canadian ballet company Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, according to its website.

Haddon’s daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was “the greatest champion of all.” An inspiration to many.”

“A pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in the light, Mom,” she said.