Trailblazing entertainment journalist Flo Anthony dies at 74

Flo Anthony, the veteran entertainment journalist who broke barriers in celebrity reporting and became one of the most recognizable voices in Black media, has died at 74. Her biographer, Jack Hirsch, confirmed her death and said Anthony had recently shared that she was battling cancer.

Anthony, who was born in Mississippi, built a national career that spanned newspapers, magazines, radio, television and publishing. After graduating from Howard University, she began writing for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun before moving into New York’s media landscape.

She became the first African American reporter in the New York Post’s Page Six department. She later became the first African American celebrity columnist for The National Examiner.

Her syndicated column, “Go With the Flo,” ran in the New York Amsterdam News for more than two decades and appeared in several other outlets. Anthony also worked with the New York Daily News and led Black Noir and Black Elegance magazines.

Before entering journalism, Anthony handled publicity for boxing legends Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, and Michael Spinks. She later became a familiar television commentator and hosted nationally syndicated radio segments, including “Gossip To Go With Flo” and “Flo Anthony’s Big Apple Buzz.”

Anthony published four novels, including Keeping Secrets, Telling Lies and Last Call for a Deadly Diva.

According to reports, Anthony married former heavyweight champion Michael Spinks earlier this year.