Andre Leon Talley, a former Vogue editor who was a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world, died at the age of 73. Talley died in a hospital in White Plains, New York, according to reports. Talley’s career is closely linked to Vogue, where he worked from 1983 to 2013, rising through the ranks of the magazine’s fashion news division, creative director, and finally editor-at-large before leaving.

Talley, whose personal style became famous with diaphanous robes created from flowing textiles, credits his love of fashion to the church he attended as a boy in North Carolina. Talley, who was born in 1948, first came across Vogue magazine at the age of 9 in a church library, and thus began a romance with the magazine that would last decades and come to define a section of his life.

Talley began his career in fashion by working with Diana Vreeland, and then moved on to Interview magazine, which was still run by Andy Warhol at the time. Talley then went on to work for Women’s Wear Daily, where he worked his way through the ranks to become the Paris bureau head.

Despite these achievements, Talley is most recognised for his commitment to promoting Black models, ensuring that more are sent down the runway at major fashion weeks and featured in magazines such as Vogue. He’s also recognised as being the first person to connect former First Lady Michelle Obama to designer Jason Wu, who later designed her inaugural gown. Talley became noted for his efforts to both create greater space for people of colour in fashion and give back to the community that reared him throughout his career, all while standing out as the first African-American male to become a voice of authority in the industry.

Talley penned two books, The Chiffon Trenches and A.L.T., was a judge on multiple seasons of the TV show Project Runway, appeared in cameos on shows like Sex and the City and The September Issue, a Met Gala documentary, and was the subject of the biographical film The Gospel According to Andre.

His work has left a lasting impact that will not be forgotten anytime soon.