Overview
- Smith died in a New York hospital on Wednesday, Nov. 4, after a long, courageous fight with multiple sclerosis, her twins Airyn and Julian said in a statement.
- She rose to prominence as a 1970s model who worked with designers such as Yves Saint Laurent and Hubert de Givenchy and appeared in magazines including Vogue and Ebony.
- Smith transitioned to acting in the late 1980s, with recurring roles on Miami Vice and as Eva Rawley on NBC’s sitcom 227 through its final seasons.
- She had a long relationship with Robert De Niro from 1988 to 1996 and the couple welcomed twins in 1995 conceived by in vitro fertilization and carried by a surrogate.
- Beyond fashion and screen work, Smith ran New York food ventures in the 1990s and carried forward the creative legacy of her brother Willi Smith, leaving a mark on fashion, TV and her local community.