André Leon Talley, a prominent figure in the fashion world and became the first Black editor in the industry, died Tuesday at 73.

Talley, the creative director and editor of Vogue magazine, died due to a heart attack, the magazine noted in its obituary.

Talley first joined Vogue in 1983. He quickly rose to the position of creative director and served as Anna Wintour's right-hand. Talley worked as an editor at Vogue for over 20 years. He also created the Style Fax column. He then left the magazine in 2013.

Talley also contributed to various other media outlets. He is also the subject of a documentary released in 2018, The Gospel According to André.

He was known for wearing his signature wide-brimmed caftans or colorful clothes on the front rows of fashion shows. At 6 feet 6 tall, he was also known for cutting a memorable figure. Vogue once referred to him as "the Pharaoh of fabulosity".

He was also a familiar figure on television, appearing in various shows like "Sex and the City" and "Empire".

In a 2013 Vanity Fair, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour described Talley as a great editor who had a great sense of fashion history.

Fashion industry mourns

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Andre Leon Talley (@andreltalley)

Many celebrities paid tribute to the late designer on social media, such as TV personality Whoopi Goldberg who tweeted, "just in time for the front line at fashion week in Heaven."

Kerry Washington posted a sweet message on her Instagram about how he was still shining brightly from the afterlife. "Oh Andre! Heaven is not ready for you darling!!!!!! The whole afterlife is going to be just too fabulous now ... You will shine so brightly from the heavens that we will know what true stardom looks like."

Diane von Furstenberg, one of his colleagues, posted a heartfelt message about Talley on Instagram. "No one saw the world in a more glamorous way than you did … no one was grander and more soulful than you were."

Actress and singer Bette Midler also paid tribute to him on Twitter. "He was such a force, & believed in the magic of Fashion & its illusions with all his being. His life was a saga of great highs, great lows, the dramatic, the ridiculous, and the endless pursuit of beauty."

Edward Enninful, the first Black editor in chief of Vogue, also paid tribute to Talley. "Without you, there would be no me. Thank you for paving the way," he wrote.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Andre Leon Talley (@andreltalley)

In Vogue's obituary, Anna Wintour noted that Talley's death had affected everyone in the fashion industry. She said that he inspired generations of young designers and was a great inspiration to those in the industry.

"Yet it's the loss of André as my colleague and friend that I think of now," the current Vogue editor-in-chief said.