Toukie Smith, model and actor known for her role on '227,' dies at 74

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Set us as preferred Toukie Smith, a former runway model and actor best known for her role on the sitcom “227,” has died.She was 74.

Smith died Wednesday after a long battle with multiple sclerosis, according to a statement from her twins, Airyn and Julian De Niro, provided to the Hollywood Reporter.“Toukie was a force of nature,” they said, per the outlet.

“She left an indelible mark on our hearts and on everyone lucky enough to know her.” Archives Willi Smith, the innovative and witty fashion designer who created his outsized and colorful styles for the man and woman in the street, has died in New York City at age 39.Born Doris Smith on Sept.

25, 1952, in Philadelphia, the Fashion Institute of Technology alum began her modeling career in 1972 and worked with top brand designers including Hubert de Givenchy, Chanel, Issey Miyake and Thierry Mugler over the course of her career.She was named “Bloomingdale’s Favorite Model” in 1978.Toukie “was a nickname my grandmother gave me that came from a children’s record about a little red fire engine with lots of energy,” Smith told The Times in 1990.

“I’ve always had lots of energy.”Smith got her start modeling for her brother, the late designer Willi Smith who, with his WilliWear Ltd., pioneered a whimsical yet accessible style he dubbed “street couture.” “Willi always had fun with fashion,” Smith said of her brother, who died of complications from AIDS in 1987.“He had a special energy and a love of keeping clothes from being too serious.

He also totally designed for the masses.” In their statement, Airyn and Jordan said their mother “shared in a remarkable family legacy that helped shape American fashion and culture” and that “her beauty, grace and unmistakable presence helped pave the way for generations of Black models and design...