Model Pioneer Naomi Sims Passes

Legendary model Naomi Sims, the first black model to be featured on the cover of Ladies Home Journal passed away in Newark, N.J. after suffering from a bout with cancer. She was 61.

A native of Oxford, Miss., Sims grew up in Pittsburgh, and later moved to mid-sixties New York to enroll at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Unable to pay for school, she posed for fashion illustrators to support herself. She would later sign with Wilhelmina Modeling Agency.

The stylish chocolate model was booked by several designers including Bill Blass and Halston to appear in their fashion shows.

In the mid-seventies Sims grew tired of modeling and went on to author books on the subject. Her colleagues deemed her "one of the most elegant and beautiful women" of our time.

See more news and photos about Naomi Sims at Essence.com.