The fashion world and celebrities are mourning the loss of André Leon Talley, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 73. Talley died in at White Plains Hospital from an unknown illness; his friend Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “André Leon Talley was a singular force in an industry that he had to fight to be recognized in.”

Talley became the first African American creative director of Vogue in 1988, where he worked closely with editor-in-chief Anna Wintour before departing in 1995. He returned to the publication in