Carbon Monoxide Leak Blamed in Trailblazing Model's Death

Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist, and trailblazing former Sports Illustrated model who pushed back against age discrimination by reentering the industry as a widow, has died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning, per the AP. Authorities in Bucks County found Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified about a person unconscious at the Solebury Township home. A 76-year-old man police identified as Walter J. Blucas of Erie was hospitalized in critical condition. Investigators determined that a faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak. About Haddon:

• As a model, Haddon appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1973 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. The Toronto native also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, according to IMDb.com, including 1994's Bullets Over Broadway.
• Haddon left modeling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but then had to reenter the workforce after her husband's 1991 death. This time she found the modeling industry far less friendly: "They said to me, 'At 38, you're not viable,'" Haddon told the New York Times in 2003.
• Working a menial job at an advertising agency, Haddon 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, followed by Estée Lauder and then L'Oreal, for which she promoted the company's anti-aging products for more than a decade. She also hosted beauty segments for CBS's The Early Show.
• In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organization aimed at advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti, and Jordan.

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