Stella McCartneyis one of many mourning the loss of fashion designerTom Ford’s late husbandRichard Buckley. The renowned fashion editor and journalist died on Sunday of natural causes after a long illness.
McCartney, the godmother to Buckley and Ford’s son Alexander John “Jack” Buckley Ford, 8, posted a selfie with Buckley along with atouching tributehonoring his memory. “To my dear friend Tom and my beautiful godson Jack… It is with the deepest sadness that I speak of the stunning Richard’s passing. What a gentle man; grace and charm filled the room when he was in it,” McCartney, 50, wrote.
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“His intellect and passion for knowledge always blew me away, and the sparkle in his eyes dove so deep into your heart each time you were blessed enough to feel it. To call Richard a dear and beloved friend is a privilege, and to know the huge hole left in your lives fills me with deep, deep sadness,” the designer and daughter of Linda andPaul McCartneycontinued. “He was so loved, so respected and so madly and passionately dedicated to you, Tom and Jack, that his life was fully complete.”
Stella McCartney Instagram
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FormerVogueandNew York Timesfashion editor William Norwich also honored Buckley’s memory in anInstagram tribute, calling him “the last of a generation of great style journalists and editors.”
“Patrick McCarthy, my best friend, introduced me to Richard. Well, he was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen, with those blue eyes that could launch oceans of desire. So I, thinking myself quite amusing, said: ‘listen Hedda if you ever get any scoops I should I have had I’ll scratch your eyes out.’ It terrified Richard, Patrick told me, and I spent the rest of our parallel working lives, night after night, trying to make up for my bad joke,” he continued.
One of Norwich’s fondest memories with Buckley was when they stood outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art to “get the scoop” on the wedding party of Mercedes and investor Sid Bass in 1988.
“So on a cold night Richard, Bill Cunningham and I stood outside the back of the Met with our noses literally pressed against the glass,” he said. “I brought tea sandwiches from@williampollnywhich Bill wouldn’t eat. We got our stories. We kept our jobs. Oh, beautiful Richard Rest In Peace and Power. And heartfelt condolences to Tom and Jack and your closest family and friends.#richardbuckley.”
Fern Mallis, thecreator of New York Fashion Week, commented on Norwich’s post. “So hard to process this… yet another loss of a truly special soul. I met Richard when he was at NY Magazine and have adored him ever since… and yes those piercing blue eyes. He and Tom had a love affair for the ages. This is so sad, and sending condolences and love to Tom and Jack. RIP Richard. 🙏🏼💔”
Suzy Menkes, former editor ofVogueInternational shared what she will miss the most about Buckley.
“Dearest Richard, I shall miss your sparky - but thoughtful - letters. I shall miss your dry wit. And you,” Menkes wrote onInstagram.
Hairstylist Frederic Fekkai called Buckley “sensational” as he remembered the influence the editor had on his namesake haircare brand.
“When you’ve been in this business as long I have and you’ve sold and bought back your namesake brand three times you really find out who your true friends are,” Fekkai wrote onInstagram. “I first met Richard as an editor and he was always generous with brilliant advice and staunchly supportive of @fekkai. He IS the reason we brought back the Apple Cider shampoo. In one of his last emails to me he wrote: ‘I still search high and low for your Apple Cider Shampoo. You were the one who told me it was good for my hair and I remain true. I stockpile! I am going to die and they will find bottles and bottles of Fekkai shampoo.’ I continue to heed your advice and will miss you dearly, my friend. R.I.P.”
Trey Laird, founder and Chief Creative Officer of fashion-focused ad agency Laird+Partners, remembered the kindness he felt from Buckley. “Richard was super welcoming & kind & warm to this young Texan - and he always remained that way to me for the decades that followed every time I saw him,” Laird said in anInstagram post.
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Ford, 60, met Buckley in 1986 at a fashion show, and the pair eventually wed in 2014.
Buckley enjoyed a career in fashion journalism that began atNew York Magazinein 1979. He went on to publications that includedWomen’s Wear DailyandVanity Fair. He also became the European editor ofMirabellamagazine, contributing editor atItalian Vogue, and later the editor-in-chief ofVogue Hommes International.
source: people.com
