Actress and model Toukie Smith, known for her role on the 80s sitcom 227, has died. She was 74.
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Smith died in a New York hospital on Nov. 4 after a “long, courageous battle” with multiple sclerosis, her children Airyn and Julian said in a statement shared by The Hollywood Reporter.
Airyn and Julian are Smith’s only children. She shared with Robert De Niro, who she was in a relationship with from 1988-1996. The twins were born via surrogate in 1995.
“As the sister of the late, legendary designer Willi Smith, Toukie shared in a remarkable family legacy that helped shape American fashion and culture,” her children said.
Willi Smith died in 1989 from complications from AIDS.
In addition to modeling for her brother, Smith also modeled for designers Hubert de Givenchy, Thierry Mugler, Issey Miyake and Patrick Kelly. She also modeled for photographers Jean-Paul Goude and Guy Bourdin and illustrators Alvaro and Antonio Lopez.
“She was a model, muse and collaborator, not only to her beloved brother but to other trailblazing luminaries of the era,” her children said. Her beauty, grace and unmistakable presence helped pave the way for generations of Black models and designers in fashion.”
After leaving modeling in the early 80s, Smith turned her attention to acting.
From 1987 to 1988, Smith appeared in Miami Vice’s fourth season as Angie, assistant to pop singer Caitlin Davies and wife of Sonny Crockett.
In 1989, she joined the cast of 227, playing artist Eva Rawley. Her character was recurring over the series’ last two seasons.
Born in Philadelphia in 1952, Smith was born Doris Smith. Her nickname, Toukie, came from her grandmother, who listened to “a children’s record about a little red fire engine with lots of energy,” she explained to the Los Angeles Times in 1990.
“I’ve always had lots of energy,” she said.
“Toukie was a force of nature,” her children said. “She left an indelible mark on our hearts and on everyone lucky enough to know her.”