Oprah Winfrey pays tribute to Reggie Wells, her former makeup artist of 30 years, who died on January 8 at the age of 76.
On Thursday, Winfrey honored Wells with a candid Instagram photo of the two The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also wrote a long title.
“Dear Reggie,” she began. “Rest in peace knowing that you brought a lot of joy and so much laughter. You made every face you touched more beautiful. I imagine you are on trial with Saint Peter, Gabriel and all the real Marys – bringing a lot of humor to heaven.”
Oprah Winfrey’s former makeup artist, Reggie Wells, has died at 76.
Wells died in his hometown of Baltimore after a “long illness,” it said Baltimore Banner.
On Winfrey’s website, an article dedicated to Wells included a note from Oprah Daily creative director, Adam Glassman, who also knew the late makeup artist well.
“Reggie was an excellent makeup artist. I was in awe when I first met him – his work predates him and I knew I was in the presence of a creative legend,” Glassman said. “He could really ‘beat the face,’ as he would say, but he was also such a comedian. On a photo shoot or backstage at the Oprah Winfrey Show, he would keep the spirits up and energize—and, man, he had great stories from his years working with the greats.”
According to the site, Wells contributed some of the favorites The Oprah Magazine covers, such as the May-June 2000 first issue and the May 2010 10th anniversary cover.
Wells’ other star clientele included Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Michelle Obama, Diahann Carroll and Halle Berry.
Reggie Wells 2017
Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty
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Wells attended Baltimore City College and the Maryland Institute College of Art and became a city art teacher, according to Banner. In the 1970s, he moved to New York, where he soon became a recognizable name in the makeup industry – with whom he worked Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar and bit, where he did Winfrey’s make-up for her cover, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Working primarily with black women, Wells was known to often create his own foundation and foundation shades to match his clients’ skin tones.
In 1990, Winfrey hired him as her full-time makeup artist and they became close friends.
“What I learned from Oprah is why I’m doing this today,” he said in a 2017 interview. Baltimore Sun. “I do this for forgotten people or families. I take unknown mothers and grandmothers and give them an Oprah makeover.”
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Source: HIS Education