*Toukie Smith, the fashion model who became a familiar face on the NBC sitcom “227,” died Wednesday, Nov. 4, in New York. She was 74.
Her twin sons, Airyn and Julian, shared the news in a statement, per The Hollywood Reporter. Smith died in a hospital after years with multiple sclerosis. Her death marks the second loss of 2026 for “227” fans, following the death of costar Hal Williams just months ago.
“Toukie was a force of nature,” Airyn and Julian said. “She left an indelible mark on our hearts and on everyone lucky enough to know her.”
Smith joined “227” in 1989 as Eva Rawley and stayed until the series ended in 1990, sharing the screen with Marla Gibbs, Regina King and Jackée Harry.
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Acting was her second career. As Complex reports, Smith appeared on “Miami Vice” before “227,” then landed film roles in “Talkin’ Dirty After Dark,” “I Like It Like That,” “Joe’s Apartment” and “The Preacher’s Wife.” She also opened a namesake New York restaurant in the 1990s.
Born Doris Smith in Philadelphia in 1952, Smith began modeling in 1972 and worked for Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy, Issey Miyake, Thierry Mugler and Patrick Kelly. She appeared in Ebony, Vogue, Seventeen and Cosmopolitan, and Bloomingdale’s named her its 1978 Model of the Year.
Her older brother, Willi Smith, founded the WilliWear streetwear label. He died of AIDS-related complications in 1987 at age 39.
Smith dated actor Robert De Niro from 1988 to 1996. The couple welcomed their twins through in vitro fertilization and a surrogate.
In announcing her death, Airyn and Julian remembered her fight with the disease as a “long, courageous battle.”
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