NEW HOPE, Pa. (AP) 鈥� Dayle Haddon, an actor, activist and trailblazing former 鈥淪ports Illustrated鈥� 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.
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 later identified as Walter J. Blucas of Erie was hospitalized in critical condition.
Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property and township police said Saturday that investigators determined that 鈥渁 faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak.鈥� Two medics were taken to a hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.
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. She also appeared in about two dozen films from the 1970s to 1990s, according to IMDb.com, including 1994鈥檚 鈥淏ullets Over Broadway,鈥� starring John Cusack.
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: 鈥淭hey said to me, 鈥楢t 38, you鈥檙e not viable,鈥欌�� 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 Est茅e Lauder and then L鈥橭real, for which she promoted the company's anti-aging products for more than a decade. She also hosted beauty segments for CBS鈥檚 鈥淭he Early Show.鈥�
"I kept modeling, but in a different way," she told The Times, 鈥淚 became a spokesperson for my age.鈥�
In 2008, Haddon founded WomenOne, an organization aimed at advancing educational opportunities for girls and women in marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.'
Haddon was born in Toronto and began modeling as a teenager to pay for ballet classes 鈥� she began her career with the Canadian ballet company Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, .
Haddon's daughter, Ryan, said in a social media post that her mother was 鈥渆veryone鈥檚 greatest champion. An inspiration to many.鈥�
鈥淎 pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in Light, Mom,鈥� she said.
The Associated Press
