Former Sports Illustrated model and CBS correspondent Gail O’Neill has been confirmed dead aged 61. How she died and her fortune explored.
Gail O’Neill had a successful career in the entertainment industry.
She was famous as an American fashion model. She later switched her career to journalism and became a television journalist.
As a fashion model, she was considered one of the elite black models in the world. She was on the covers of leading fashion magazines and a part of the highly publicized Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Sadly, the world learned about her death, and following the tragic news, many want to know more about her career, what happened to her, her cause of death, and her net worth. Read on for more.
What was Gail O’Neill’s cause of death?
Gail O’Neill has died at 61.
She died on October 10, according to Deadline.
A cause of death has yet to be specified.
However, ArtsATL – where O’Neill had been editor-at-large – shared that she had been battling a “serious illness” for the last two years.
Tributes have poured in for the late model and television host.
“Everyone who knew Gail O’Neill feels a deep sense of loss right now. She was a beacon of light, and shined brightly. I’m honored to have been her friend and editor,” ArtsATL editor Scott Freeman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“One of the top models who inspired me to become a model when I was a little girl,” another wrote.
“May she Rest In Power,” someone else said.
What was Gail O’Neill’s net worth?
In her long years of being in the entertainment, the late star had an impressive fortune and per online sources, she died a multimillionaire.
Gail O’Neill reportedly had an estimated current net worth of between $1 million and $5 million at the time of her death.
She accrued her money from her primary career as an American fashion model and television journalist. Mostly her stream of income came from modeling gigs, partnerships, and sponsorships with companies as well as other endeavors.
Who was Gail O’Neill? The late model had an impressive career
O’Neill was featured on the cover of several acclaimed magazines, including Vogue, and starred in advertisements for Coca-Cola, Avon, and Revlon.
She also modeled for top brands like Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and more.
O’Neill was famously featured in the 1992 swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.
During her modeling career, O’Neill also partnered with Naomi Campbell and several others to be some of the earlier members of the Black Girls Coalition, created by Iman and Bethann Hardison as an advocacy group for Black models in the industry.
O’Neill was born to Jamaican immigrants in 1963 in Westchester County, New York, United States.
She was discovered in the 1980s while working a marketing job at Xerox.
A year later, she landed on the cover of British Vogue magazine.
In addition to her modeling work, O’Neill eventually wound up in television.
She appeared on The Early Show on CBS when it premiered in 1999.
In addition, she hosted CNN’s Travel Now, and Mission Organization and Public Places, Private Spaces for HGTV.
Until her death, O’Neill was working in Atlanta for ArtsATL.