Multimedia journalist and author Florence Anthony has died

Florence Anthony, a prominent multimedia journalist, radio host, and author, has died. Anthony was a widely recognized figure in entertainment news, working across print, radio, and television platforms for several decades.

Her career in journalism included breaking barriers as the first African-American reporter for the New York Post's gossip column and the first African-American columnist for The National Examiner. She also contributed to the Philadelphia Sun and the New York Daily News. As a writer, she maintained a weekly syndicated column appearing in several publications, including the Columbus Times, Oklahoma Eagle, BRE Magazine, and The New York Amsterdam News.

In the radio industry, Anthony operated her own company, Dottie Media Group LLC. Through a partnership with Superadio, she produced two syndicated programs, Gossip To Go With Flo and Flo Anthony’s Big Apple Buzz. These shows reached more than 3 million daily listeners across approximately 20 radio markets in the United States.

Anthony was a frequent television personality, appearing as a contributor on news programs such as Inside Edition, The Insider, and Entertainment Tonight. She spent six seasons as a co-host and contributor on E! Entertainment’s The Gossip Show. Her television work also included appearances on various talk shows such as The Maury Povich Show, The Joan Rivers Show, and The Ricki Lake Show, alongside guest spots on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel.

Beyond journalism, she was an accomplished author. She published her first novel, Keeping Secrets Telling Lies, in 2000. Her subsequent literary works included Deadly Stuff Players in 2013 and the sequel, One Last Deadly Pay, in 2016.

Earlier in her career, Anthony worked as a publicist for several boxing legends, including Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, and Michael Spinks. She was married to Michael Spinks following a relationship that began in 1987.