Richard Buckley, fashion designerTom Ford’s husband and partner of over three decades, has died. He was 72.
According to a statement from Ford’s representatives, Buckley, a renowned fashion editor and journalist, “died of natural causes after a long illness” on Sunday night.
“It is with great sadness that Tom Ford announces the death of his beloved husband of 35 years, Richard Buckley,” the statement began.
Larry Busacca//WireImage
Ford, 60, met Buckley in 1986 at a fashion show, and the pair eventually wed in 2014.
For more on Richard Buckley and other top stories, listen below toour daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
Buckley enjoyed a career in fashion journalism that began atNew York Magazinein 1979. He went on to publications that includedWomen’s Wear DailyandVanity Fair.
RELATED VIDEO: Tom Ford’s Painful Memories of Childhood Bullying: ‘I Was Absolutely Tortured’
He also became the European editor ofMirabellamagazine, contributing editor atItalian Vogue, and later the editor-in-chief ofVogue Hommes International.
Buckley and Ford most recently lived in London, New York and Santa Fe. The pair are parents to son Alexander John Buckley Ford, 8.
In 2016, designer andA Single Mandirector Ford reflected to PEOPLE on the moment he met and fell for his husband.
Todd Williamson/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Our eyes locked and within a month we were living together,” he said during an appearance onThe Jess Cagle Interview. “We have been together ever since.”
Even after three decades, Ford said he could “vividly” remember the first time he met Buckley. The two were riding in an elevator together — and it didn’t take long for their connection to become clear. By the end of the ride, Ford said he knew he would spend the rest of his life with Buckley.
“By the time that elevator landed on the ground floor I thought, ‘You’re the one.’ That’s it. Click. Sold,” he said. “It was literally love at first sight.”
source: people.com