André Leon Talley, Vogue magazine’s renowned former creative director, died on Tuesday. He was 73 years old. Talley died in a hospital in White Plains, New York. It is unknown why he was admitted to the hospital. David Vigliano, Talley’s literary agent, confirmed Talley’s death to USA TODAY late Tuesday. 

Talley joined Vogue in 1983 and rose through the ranks to become creative director and editor-at-large. The 6-foot-6 fashion legend penned two books, “A.L.T.: A Memoir” in 2003 and “The Chiffon Trenches” in 2020, served as a judge on “America’s Next Top Model” for four seasons, and was the subject of the 2017 documentary “The Gospel According to André.”

In “The Chiffon Trenches,” Talley discussed how his experience in fashion, sexual assault, and racism influenced his life, career, and friendships.

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“I can only write this book based on who I am and where I come from,” the former fashion editor told Essence at the time.

Talley was the first Black person to hold his position at Vogue, and in his 2020 book, he described his role in influencing Vogue, and therefore the fashion industry as a whole.

According to the New York Times, he said in his biography about Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, “I’m not diminishing myself to say my strength was in my capacity to be beside a petite, magnificent, strong white woman and encourage her vision.”

Later, he would defend Wintour, praising her, Diana Vreeland, and Andy Warhol for influencing his career.

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In May 2020, Talley told Vulture, “This is not a spiteful… tell-all.” “I’m not going to condemn her. My book is a love letter to everyone I care about. It’s a tribute to Anna Wintour. I adore her to pieces.”

Despite the absence of diversity in the fashion industry, Talley told Essence that he has never run away from his race in his life or profession.

“I never distanced myself from my Blackness,” he explained. “I am what I am because of my blackness.”

Talley was Vogue’s editor-at-large until 2013, when he quit, becoming editor-in-chief of Russian fashion magazine Numero Russia. Talley held the position for a year.

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It was a “difficult decision” for him to leave Vogue, he told Women’s Wear Daily.

“I thought I needed greater financial security as I approached my twilight years, a little extra cash for mortgages, and as I approached retirement,” he explained. “I took the job because I adore Russia and the pay was fantastic.” Money isn’t everything, but it is when you start thinking about saving for your retirement.”