Gail Lumet Buckley

Gail Lumet Buckley (née Gail Horne Jones; December 21, 1937 – July 18, 2024) was an American journalist and author.

Life and career

Buckley was the daughter of the singer and actress Lena Horne and political activist Louis Jordan Jones.

Career

Gail Horne Jones was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but spent time in New York and California. She was raised Catholic. She graduated from Radcliffe College with a bachelor's degree in 1959. She interned at Marie Claire in Paris before returning to the United States. She was hired by Life magazine in 1962. Later, she was published in newspapers including The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. She wrote her first book in 1986, entitled The Hornes: An American Family.

Marriages

Buckley was married to director Sidney Lumet from 1963 until 1978, when they divorced; they had two children, including Jenny Lumet. She later married journalist Kevin Buckley for 38 years until his death in 2021.

Death

Gail Lumet Buckley died on July 18, 2024, at her home in Santa Monica, California, aged 86, from heart failure. She was survived by her two daughters (from her first marriage), Jenny and Amy, as well as two grandchildren, including Jake Cannavale.

Books

• The Black Calhouns: From Civil War to Civil Rights with One African American Family
• American Patriots: The Story of Blacks in the Military from the Revolution to Desert Storm (2001)
• The Hornes: An American Family (1986)
• Radical Sanctity: Race and Radical Women in the American Catholic Church (2023)