Tom Ford’s Husband, Richard Buckley, Dead At 72 From Natural Causes — Fashion World Pays Tribute To The Late Journalist

While the statement didn’t specify Buckley’s illness, he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1989 and underwent surgery after being told his cancer was fatal, the Daily Mailreported. It’s unclear if his cancer diagnosis contributed to his death.

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Ford, 60, met his late husband in 1986 at a fashion show. “Our eyes locked and within a month we were living together,” the designer recalled in 2016 to PEOPLE of the moment they first met over three decades ago. “We have been together ever since.”

The fashion couple wed in 2014 shortly after same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. and welcomed 8-year-old son Alexander John “Jack” Buckley Ford, via a surrogate in 2012.

Buckley is a respected figure in the fashion world in his own right, as he began his career as a journalist in 1979 for the New York Magazine. He went on to work for publications such as Women’s Wear Daily and Vanity Fair. The father-of-one became the European editor of Mirabella magazine, contributing editor at Italian Vogue and was then namededitor-in-chief of Vogue Hommes International in 1999.

After hearing of Buckley’s passing, those in the fashion and entertainment industry took to social media to express their condolences. Fashion designer Stella McCartney paid tribute to Ford’s husband on Instagram, sharing that Buckley’s passing was “stunning” and brought on the “deepest sadness.”

“What a gentle man; grace and charm filled the room when he was in it,” she wrote of the journalist. “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.”

McCartney also touched on Buckley’s health issues, writing: “We love you Richard and we will miss you so very much. Your fight has ended but you will always live on in our hearts.”

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Actress Naomi Watts, artist Cindy Sherman, model Poppy Delevigne, supermodel Helena Christensen, and more shared their own touching messages in McCartney’s comment section.

“Such a loss. Sending love,” Watts wrote while Sherman added: “Aww very sad news indeed, I didn’t know him well but the few times we met, he was just as you describe, kind, gentle and compassionate. My heart goes out to Tom and the family.”

Delevigne commented three heart emojis, one of which was a broken heart, and Christensen wrote: “He was such a beautiful spirit.”