Barrier-breaking model Renauld White dead at 80
A pioneering model and actor, Renauld White is credited with helping to diversify the modeling industry as a trailblazer and outspoken advocate.
Fashion insiders are mourning the loss of one of the industry’s Black pioneers. Model and actor Renauld White died Wednesday, June 26 at the age of 80.
Perhaps best known for being one of the first Black men to appear on the cover of GQ, only the second Black model to do so in the magazine’s history when he graced the November 1979 cover, White also broke the color barrier on runways for major designers. As reported by Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), during his lengthy career, White worked with Bill Blass, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Yves Saint Laurent, Versace and Armani, among others. As recently as 2023, the semi-retired model appeared in a campaign for Dolce & Gabbana lensed by Steven Meisel.
“[Renauld White] was a groundbreaker,” his longtime friend, fashion designer Jeffrey Banks, told WWD. “There were very few Black models at the time. He really broke barriers. When they had a party for him in Newark for his 50-year anniversary in the fashion industry, he was very proud of the progress and how he opened the doors for other people.”
Born in Newark, New Jersey, White reportedly briefly attended Rutgers University and began modeling in the 1960s. As “vividly remembered” by David Neeman, founder and chairman of the children’s nonprofit Loyalty Foundation, where White was a former advisory board member, while speaking with young members of the organization’s Open Minds Mentorship program in 2019, White recounted “bursting into [modeling agency] Wilhelmina, demanding to be seen, then getting an appointment the next day and how being booked changed his life.”
“He is an absolute legend and pioneer and not just in fashion,” Neeman added.
Speaking with WWD in 2011, White posited that “he was offered a modeling contract because they thought that he would fail.” However, he was not only a success in the fashion industry but eventually onscreen as well, landing a recurring role as William Reynolds on the soap opera “Guiding Light” between 1986 and 1992. He would appear onscreen in several other productions over the decades, as well as onstage at New York City’s acclaimed La MaMa Experimental Theater and other venues. A friend of many, including Aretha Franklin, White often escorted the late chanteuse to events in New York City, reported WWD.
“He was a nice and charming guy,” recalled fellow fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison, who initially met White in the late ‘60s.
Throughout his career, White also remained a staunch advocate for diversity in the industry, challenging his own agents at Wilhelmina to lead the charge in representing and promoting more Black men.
“I wanted to bring about change. I really confronted the establishment about why there were not more Black male images,” he told WWD in 2011. “At first, I thought I was going to get thrown in jail and beaten up because of my approach. But then they realized that they were wrong and that they were behind society and behind the times, and that they had to listen to me.”
Throughout his life, White reportedly extended his influence to mentor younger talents. “I had a 30-plus-year career. They don’t make those anymore. I encourage them to do amazing things. Take the money, go to school, open up a business, be an entrepreneur and be self-reliant.”
“[He was] an extraordinary man, so kind, so patient, so thoughtful and a tremendous mentor,” recalled Neeman.
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Known as an avid fitness buff and a black belt in karate, White reportedly died while in hospice at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital; the cause of his death was not disclosed. His funeral will take place on July 12 in his hometown of Newark, where he will be remembered fondly by those who knew and worked with him.
“He was the perfect gentleman. He was kind and he was helpful,” said Banks. “I think that’s why his death has been such a shock to people, because he was such a good person.”
