Leading model and actor Dayle Hayden dies of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

FILE – Dayle Hayden attends the first annual Stephen Weis Apple Awards at the Urban Zen Center on Thursday, June 9, 2011 in New York. , Photo Credit: Evan Agostini

Dayle Hayden, an actor, activist and former pioneer Sports Illustrated The model, who took a stand against age discrimination by re-entering the industry as a widow, has died at a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bucks County authorities found Hayden, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified of a man unconscious at a Solebury Township home. Police later identified the 76-year-old man as Walter J. Blucas of Erie, who was hospitalized in critical condition.

Responders detected high levels of carbon monoxide at the property and township police said Saturday that investigators determined “a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on the gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak.” Two paramedics were taken to hospital and a police officer was treated at the scene for carbon monoxide exposure.

As a model, Hayden appeared on the cover of circulation, Cosmopolitan, EliAnd Sir In the 1970s and 1980s, as well as in 1973 Sports Illustrated The swimsuit issue. According to IMDb.com, she also appeared in nearly two dozen films from the 1970s to the 1990s, including the 1994 film. bullets on broadwayStarring John Cusack.

Hayden left modeling in the mid-1970s after giving birth to her daughter Ryan, but had to re-enter the workforce after her husband’s death in 1991. This time she found the modeling industry much less favourable: “They told me, ‘At 38, you’re not viable,'” Hayden recalled. the new York Times in 2003.

While working a modest job at an advertising agency, Hayden began reaching out to cosmetic companies, telling them there was a growing market to sell beauty products to aging Baby Boomers. She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, then Estée Lauder, and then L’Oréal, promoting the company’s anti-aging products for more than a decade. She also hosted a beauty segment for CBS Early show.

“I continued modeling, but in a different way,” she said. many times“I became a spokesperson for my age.”

In 2008, Hayden founded WomenOne, which aims to advance educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti, and Jordan.

Hayden was born in Toronto and began modeling as a teenager to pay for ballet classes – according to her website, she began her career with the Canadian ballet company Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.

Hayden’s daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was “everyone’s biggest champion. An inspiration to so many.”

“pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching many lives. A life well lived. Rest in the light, Mother,” he said.