Wells also worked with former First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé and Halle Berry, among others.
BALTIMORE (AP) — Reggie Wells, who spent more than 30 years as Oprah Winfrey’s personal makeup artist and worked with former First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, Halle Berry, and numerous other celebrities, has died. He was 76.
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Wells was one of seven children born to John Henry Wells, a bus driver, and Ada Wells, a nurse. He graduated from Baltimore City College and the Maryland Institute College of Art, according to the Banner. He moved to New York City in the mid-1970s to pursue work as a makeup artist.
He worked with a range of magazines, including Glamour and Harper’s Bazaar. At Essence, he did makeup for models and celebrities who graced the magazine’s covers. That’s how he connected with Winfrey and other celebrities.
He also worked with Whitney Houston, Diahann Carroll, Aretha Franklin and Joan Rivers. He went to work for Winfrey full time in Chicago in 1990.
Wells also created his own line of makeup for Black women in the early days when few products for their skin tones were available. In 2000, he published a book, “Face Painting: African American Beauty Techniques from an Emmy-Winning Makeup Artist.”
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