HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Naomi Campell died rumors began surfacing Tuesday shortly after the death of a pioneering black model with the same first name.
Naomi Sims, considered by many as the first black supermodel, died Saturday from cancer in her home state of New Jersey. Her death was first announced by her son during an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday.
Ironically, Sims helped pave the way for Campbell, who lauched her successful modeling career as a teen when she signed with Elite Model Management.
Following her long run of success in the industry, Campbell has become more known for her legal issues in recent time, including a recent allegation that she attacked an Italian paparazzo with her purse in Sicily.
"I managed to avoid her – but her nails still got my eye," photographer Gaetano Di Giovanni told Italian newspaper Repubblica. "For a few seconds I could not see a thing. I could hear that her bodyguards and her boyfriend were trying to drag her away."
Campbell's rep has denied the photographer's claim, but the alleged incident would seem to follow the British model's history of outbursts. In January, Campbell settled a lawsuit filed by her former maid, who accused the model of striking her and calling her names for not being able to locate a pair of jeans.
The incident wasn't the first time the British catwalker had faced a dispute with one of her maids. In January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless assault against another former maid, Ana Scolavino.
Campbell also made headlines in April 2008 when a dispute began over her luggage as she was preparing to catch a flight from London to Los Angeles aboard British Airways. She was later sentenced to 200 hours community service and fined $4,500 after pleading guilty plea to assaulting two police officers at London's Heathrow Airport.
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