Tom Ford is opening up about his husband Richard Buckley‘s death.
“It’s been hard after 35 years, very hard,” he said. “I keep thinking, Oh, God, I have to call Richard, or I need to send him a note about this. And he’s not here.”
Ford, who was with the fashion journalist for 35 years, tied the knot with Buckley in 2014. And in September 2021, Buckley died at age 72, leaving behind Ford, 60, and their 9-year-old son, Jack, to care for.
“Until recently, I had Richard to help me out in the mornings. It’s been a little bit of a struggle the last month because he would normally get (Jack’s) breakfast on school days while I was getting dressed,” Ford said. “I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”
And as Ford is now a widow, he admits he is still getting the hang of being a single parent to their son.
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“I guess I’ve added now to my routine at 5:30,” he said about taking care of Jack.
“But it’s a challenge to get him up, dressed, get his lunch made, get his lunch packed, get his breakfast done, get all my things done, and then I drive him to school at 7:45. But it also means I’m at my office by 8:10, so I get a good start to the day.”
Ford first met Buckley in the ’80s when they were sharing an elevator together. In a November 2016 appearance on “The Jess Cagle Interview,” Ford recalled it was love at first sight when he and Buckley first met.
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“Our eyes locked and within a month we were living together,” he said. “By the time that elevator landed on the ground floor, I thought, ‘You’re the one.’ That’s it. Click. Sold,” he added. “It was literally love at first sight.”
Ford credits their long-lasting marriage was due to the strong connection they shared.
“If the person you’re with is someone you respect, who you believe has a great heart and a great soul, as good a heart and soul that you will ever find, don’t ever leave them,” he said, “because you won’t find anyone better.”