Quebec actress and model Dayle Hadden has died

Dayle Haddon, Quebec-born actress and activist and former model Sports Illustrated who fought against age discrimination by re-entering the industry as a widow, died in a Pennsylvania home from what authorities believe was carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bucks County authorities found Dayle Haddon, 76, dead in a second-floor bedroom Friday morning after emergency dispatchers were notified of an unresponsive person in her home. Solebury Township. A 76-year-old man, later identified by police as Walter J. Blucas, of Erie, Pa., was hospitalized in critical condition.

Responders detected a high level of carbon monoxide in the property. Township police said Saturday that investigators determined thatA faulty flue and exhaust pipe on a gas heating system caused the carbon monoxide leak. Two doctors were taken to hospital for carbon monoxide exposure and a police officer was treated at the scene.

Born in Montreal, Dayle Haddon began modeling as a teenager to pay for ballet lessons. According to her website, she began her career with the Grands Ballets Canadiens.

At the age of 18, she was crowned Miss Montreal and participated in the Miss Canada competition.

Symbol of anti-ageism and activist for education for women

As a model, Dayle Haddon has appeared on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Elle et Esquire in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as in the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated in 1973. She also appeared in around twenty films from the 1970s to 1990s, according to the specialized platform IMDb.com, notably Bullets Over Broadway in 1994, with John Cusack.

Dayle Haddon left modeling after giving birth to her daughter, Ryan, in the mid-1970s, but had to re-enter the workforce after her husband died in 1991. This time, she found the modeling industry much less friendly.

They told me: “At 38, you’re not profitable.”

Opening a menial job at an advertising agency, she began contacting cosmetics companies, telling them there was a growing market for selling beauty products to aging baby boomers.

She eventually landed a contract with Clairol, then Estée Lauder, then L’Oréal, for whom she promoted the company’s anti-aging products for more than a decade. She has also hosted beauty segments for The Early Show from CBS.

I continued to model, but in a different way. I became the spokesperson for my age.

In 2008, Dayle Haddon founded WomenOnean organization aimed at promoting educational opportunities for girls and women from marginalized communities, including Rwanda, Haiti and Jordan.

Dayle Haddon’s daughter Ryan said in an English social media post that her mother was the greatest champion of them all. An inspiration for many.

A pure heart. A rich inner life. Touching so many lives. A life well lived. Rest in peace, momshe wrote.