Iconic Fashion Model and Actor Dies: Renauld White Was 80

White became the second Black model to appear on the cover of 'GQ' and also starred in CBS' 'The Guiding Light.'

By Allison Schonter

Renauld White, the trailblazing model and actor who starred on the CBS soap opera Guiding Light, has died. White passed away on Wednesday, June 26 at the age of 80. He'd been in hospice care at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, his longtime friend and fashion designer Jeffrey Banks confirmed to Women's Wear Daily (WWD). A cause of death was not disclosed.

"It is with tremendous sadness that I report that my dearest friend and work colleague, RENAULD WHITE, left us yesterday," Banks wrote in a June 27 Instagram tribute. "Modeling for me from the very start of my career, RENAULD was always the perfect gentleman and a great ambassador for my brand. When first introduced to my Mother she claimed instantly that he was my 'older brother.' I only wished that was so."

Banks continued, "I shall miss our talks and times together, but will always remember the barriers you broke in the fashion industry and the love you shared as a trusted friend. Good night sweet Prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

3rd Annual Thurgood Marshall College Fund FRONT ROW Fashion Show
(Photo:

NEW YORK – OCTOBER 25: Model Renauld White attends the 3rd Annual Thurgood Marshall College Fund FRONT ROW fashion show at Roseland Ballroom on October 25, 2008 in New York City.

- Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

White is remembered for his trailblazing modeling career, during which he broke racial barriers. He began his modeling career in the 1960s, with Banks, whom White first met in 1971 at a fitting for Ralph Lauren, telling WWD that White "was a groundbreaker. There were very few Black models at the time. He really broke barriers." After walking the runway for Bill Blass in 1969, White went on to appear in shows by Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, and more, and also worked for the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Versace, Armani, and Cerutti. In November 1979, he became the second Black model to appear on the cover of GQ, following Urs Althaus in November 1977.

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Outside of modeling, White also enjoyed a successful acting career, most notably appearing as William Reynolds in Guiding Light. The CBS soap, set in the fictional Midwest town of Springfield, ran for 57 years between 1952 and 2009, with White starring on the show for two years between 1986 and 1987. His other acting credits include 2014's Gun Hill and the 2017 movie Central Park, according to his IMDb profile. The Morning Call reports that White also had a role in The Stepford Wives.

White's funeral will take place at 11 a.m. on July 12 at the Whigham Funeral Home in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey.

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