Who was Gail O’Neill?

GAIL O’Neill gained massive popularity and praise throughout her successful career.

On Tuesday, October 10, 2023, the famed model and journalist tragically passed away at the age of 61.

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Who was Gail O’Neill?

Gail O’Neill was born in 1963 in Westchester County, New York.

Her parents were Jamaican immigrants, according to Deadline.

Before becoming a television, print, and radio journalist, Gail had a highly accomplished career as a fashion model and appeared on the cover of Vogue, Essence, and Mademoiselle.

She also was featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Gail appeared in advertisements for companies such as Revlon, Avon, and Coca-Cola and modeled for designers such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Perry Ellis, and Marc Jacobs, per Deadline.

She then served as one of the first news correspondents on CBS’ The Early Show, which premiered in 1999, per the outlet.

The TV journalist also hosted CNN’s Travel Now and HGTV’s Mission Organization and Public Places, Private Spaces.

She then worked for ArtsATL in Atlanta, Georgia.

As Deadline also reported, Gail was “an early member” of the Black Girls Coalition alongside Naomi Campbell, which was “an advocacy group for black models founded by Iman and Bethann Hardison.”

The star also declined to be featured in advertisements for cigarettes or for companies that had South African investments during the apartheid era, per the outlet.

Who is Gail O’Neill’s husband, Paul Viera?

Gail was married to a man named Paul Viera.

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According to his T2 Biography, Paul has served as a director of the audit committee of the Board for Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.— a New York City video game holding company — since May 2018.

In 1998, he founded the Earnest Partners — “a global investment firm responsible for overseeing over $20 billion for municipalities, states, corporations, endowments, and universities” — and also serves as its chief executive officer.

He was previously a vice president at Bankers Trust in both New York and London before joining Invesco, “where he became a global partner and senior member of its investment team.”

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Paul’s Biography continues: “Mr. Viera serves as a Trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia and as a member of its investment committee.

“He is also a member of the board of managers of Direct Scripts LLC, the Board of Dean’s Advisors for Harvard Business School, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Carter Center Board of Councilors, the National Center for Human & Civil Rights, the University of Michigan School of Information External Advisory Board, the Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School Board and the Emory University Board of Visitors.”

Paul earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from the Harvard Business School.

What was Gail O’Neill’s cause of death?

As Women’s Wear Daily reported, 61-year-old Gail died on Tuesday, October 10, 2023.

Per the publication, Click Model agent Stephanie Grill — who represented the late model — said Gail is believed to have died in her Atlanta home.

At this time, a cause of death has not been released.

ArtsATL reported that Gail “had courageously fought a serious illness over the past two years.”

ArtsATL Executive Editor Scott Freeman said: “This is such a devastating loss. Gail was a great journalist who cared about her craft and the people she wrote about.

“She had a grand curiosity about the world, which was a hallmark of her writing style. She had the ability to take a reader along for the ride on her journey of discovery.”

According to The Grio, Gail is survived by her husband, Paul; her mother, Elaine; her brother, Randy; and her sister, Denise O’Neill, who also worked as a Click model.