Tom Ford, 60, confirmed that his husband of seven years, Richard Buckley, died on Sept. 19 at the age of 72. “It is with great sadness that Tom Ford announces the death of his beloved husband of 35 years, Richard Buckley,” the designer said in a statement. “Richard passed away peacefully at their home in Los Angeles last night with Tom and their son, Jack, by his side. He died of natural causes after a prolonged illness.” The statement did not specify what illness Richard had been suffering from.
Tom and Richard met in an elevator at a fashion show in 1986. Their son, Alexander John “Jack” Buckley Ford, was born via gestational surrogate in September 2012. After nearly 30 years together, Tom and Richard tied the knot in April 2014. “Our eyes locked and within a month we were living together,” Tom gushed in 2016. “We have been together ever since.” He also described the relationship as “love at first sight,” and said he knew he would spend the rest of his life with Richard from the moment they met.
Richard’s career began at New York Magazine in 1979. He went on to work at publications like Vanity Fair, Women’s Wear Daily, Mirabella, and Italian Vogue before becoming the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Hommes International in 1999. Throughout their lengthy relationship, Tom and Richard lived in New York, Italy, Paris and London. At the time of Richard’s death, the family split their time between homes in New York, Los Angeles, Santa Fe and London.
During his childhood, Richard lived in upstate New York, France and Germany, as he was part of a military family that moved around a bit. He attended the University of Maryland in Munich before pursuing his career in journalism.
