Florence “Flo” Anthony, a trailblazing entertainment journalist who spent decades breaking barriers for Black celebrity reporters, has died at 74.
She passed away on August 6, according to her husband, former heavyweight boxing champion Michael Spinks, who confirmed the news to his biographer Jack Hirsch.
Anthony had reportedly disclosed a cancer diagnosis to Hirsch back in March, though a specific cause of death has not been confirmed.
A Howard University graduate, Anthony began her career as a publicist for boxing legends including Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks himself, whom she would go on to marry decades later in a January courthouse ceremony in New York City after 39 years together.
She broke into journalism at the New York Post in 1985, working her way up in the Page Sixdepartment and reportedly becoming the first African American reporter in that section.
She later became the first Black celebrity columnist at The National Examiner, and spent decades writing her “Go With the Flo” column for the New York Amsterdam News, alongside contributions to the New York Daily News, Philadelphia Sunday Sun and other outlets.
She also served as editor-in-chief of Black Eleganceand Black Noirmagazines and published four novels, including 2013′s Deadly Stuff Playersand its sequel.
On television, Anthony spent six seasons as a contributor and later co-host of E!’s The Gossip Show, and appeared regularly on Inside Edition, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, MSNBCand Court TV.
She also served for decades as a publicist to the Jackson family, maintaining a particularly close relationship with La Toya Jackson dating back to the 1970s.
Her syndicated radio programs, Gossip To Go With Floand Flo Anthony’s Big Apple Buzz, reached more than three million listeners daily across roughly 20 markets by 2017.
Tributes poured in from across the industry following news of her death.
CNN entertainment journalist Lisa Respers France wrote that as a Black woman covering pop culture, she felt “deeply indebted” to Anthony, calling her someone who “did more than just cover gossip” and was “so important to the culture.”
2026-08-08 04:14:00
