Toukie Smith, 1970s Model and Star of NBC's 227, Dies at 74

Toukie Smith, a top model of the 1970s who played Eva Rawley on the NBC sitcom 227, has died at the age of 74. She died in a hospital in New York, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Her death was announced by her twins, Airyn and Julian. She had them with her former partner, the actor Robert De Niro. Smith had lived with a long battle with multiple sclerosis, a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord and can make movement, balance and vision difficult over time.

Smith was born Doris Smith in Philadelphia on September 25, 1952. She built a career as a model in the 1970s, at a time when fashion work could lead to screen roles.

Her television work came in the late 1980s. She joined 227 in 1989, and she was part of the show's final two seasons, through May 1990. Playing a recurring character means appearing in some episodes rather than all of them. The sitcom, set in a Washington apartment building and centred on a group of neighbours, was one of NBC's comedies of its era. Smith's role as Eva Rawley was among the parts she is remembered for.

For fans who knew her from the show, the news brings back a character from one of the decade's best-known sitcom casts. For her children, it marks the loss of their mother. Their statement is the first public word from the family.