Dwyane Wade?s Heartbroken Wife Joins Hundreds to Mourn the Sudden Demise of 61YO Former-Vogue Model

“… by the time I was 11 or 12 years old, I was convinced that my tall, skinny frame was some kind of cosmic joke,” said Gail O’Neill once. She started her career as a marketing representative at Xerox. However, a chance encounter in 1985 with photographer Chuck Barry on an airplane flew her right into the modeling world. It didn’t take long for her to grace the covers of Vogue, Mademoiselle, Elle, and Glamour. But her heart was elsewhere!

She transitioned into broadcast journalism and worked for major networks like CBS, CNN, and HGTV. As such an important figure in the world of journalism and modeling passed away, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade‘s wife, shared her thoughts along with thousands of mourning fans.

D-Wade’s wife remembers “sweetest icon ever” who was a trailblazer for black models

Media houses announced that model-turned-journalist Gail O’Neill passed away on Tuesday, October 10. Although her cause of death is yet to be known, fans all over America have already started to celebrate her life. O’Neill had two transitions in her career. One was her entry into the fashion industry and the other one was journalism. Her agent Stephanie Grill spoke about the 61-year-old’s impact.

Recalling her meteoric rise during the 1980s, Grill believes that O’Neill was nothing short of a trailblazer for African-American models. “She did it all and at a time when it was difficult to get black girls on anything,” said the Click Model agent.

Furthermore, Gail was an early proponent of the ‘Black Girls Coalition’, a group formed to support and protect Black models in the fashion industry. Hence, Gabrielle Union gave Gail O’Neill credit for the work she did. She shared a picture of O’Neill’s cover shoot for the famous Elle magazine on her Instagram story. “The sweetest icon ever,” she wrote. While the cause of death hasn’t been released, it is said she fought a serious illness for two years.

Though her career in journalism is lesser known, it was very impactful. Most recently, O’Neill was covering arts and culture for ‘ArtsAtl’, a non-profit based in Atlanta. Compassion drove Gail’s work as both a journalist and a model.

Gail O’Neill: “A Renaissance woman” who rejected a cigarette campaign

As a prominent figure, O’Neill used her position to champion several social causes. She famously turned down a cigarette campaign because it was hosting South African investors during the period of apartheid.

She was born in Westchester, New York, to Jamaican immigrant parents. While she considered herself an ugly duckling, her fame in the modeling world shared a different picture.

Watch this story: “‘You don’t got s*** for your son’: Slamming LeBron James for Bronny and Bryce upbringing , ex-NBA star hails father Deion Sanders”

She also appeared in the 1992 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Gail was an inspiration for her multi-faceted skills. She did her undergraduate in law, worked as a marketing representative, starred as a cover model, and later entered journalism. A fan spoke about it by sharing a Vogue article that termed O’Neill as a “renaissance woman“.

Even at the age of 61, O’Neill was receiving requests for modeling. However, the New York native chose to focus on her journalistic endeavors.

During her career in journalism, Gail O’Neill once interviewed a former Golden State Warriors star. Joe Barry Carroll was the 1st pick in the 1980 NBA Draft but the two mainly spoke about his art career and his love for paintings.

The sudden demise was indeed painful for many. But the fans and Gabrielle Union are keeping Gail O’Neill and her family in their thoughts. She left behind her husband, Paul Viera, her mother, Elaine, her brother, Randy, and her sister, Denise.

Read more: Despite Heartbreaking 2016 News, Dwyane Wade Discards Having Any Hard Feelings to Focus on the Next Chapter of His Life