Clementine "Pinkie" Black

1946 - 2016

Clementine "Pinkie" Black
1946 - 2016
Resident of Monterey
Pinkie Black, born in 1946 as Clementine Edith Van Deusen, was known for her sparkling personality and an original wardrobe, died at her home in Monterey, California on Saturday. She would have been 70 in April. Pinkie was diagnosed with lung cancer last fall, and the end came quickly and peacefully, said Eva Anderson.
In the '70s she started a small, craft jewelry line, Pinkie's Friends. With the same label, she sold a collection of vintage clothing. She was a proponent of radical fashion styles of '80s.
From Los Angeles, Pinkie was a fourth-generation California native, growing up in Toluca Lake in the San Fernando Valley. She graduated from Hollywood High and USC, and when asked about those days often mentioned that Cher sat across from her at North Hollywood Junior High School.
In 1975 she married Roger Black, then art director of Rolling Stone. After the magazine moved from San Francisco in 1977, she became a fixture in New York's alternative fashion world.
She stayed in touch with friends from the USC film school, including cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, a college admirer. A fan of the documentary filmmaker Les Blank, she hosted a seven-course garlic dinner the night of the Venice Theatre opening of Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers in 1980.
Over the years her sense of style moved from the cute '60s look of Fiorucci and Betsey Johnson to the radical "new romantic" style coming from Britain. She favored the clothes of Rachel Auburn who made dozens of couture garments for her.
Visiting London, she would hang out with Rachel and her friend, artist Leigh Bowery. Pinkie seemed to know everyone in the worlds of design and popular culture, and worked briefly for people like Vivienne Westwood and Martha Stewart. Bill Cunningham, the street fashion photographer for The New York Times, was once looking at a old contact sheet of pictures of her and said, "Ah, Pinkie. Pinkie was the 70s."
With Roger, she lived in Berkeley, Santa Monica and New York. After their divorce in 1990, Pinkie moved to the island of Bequia. She lived in the Caribbean for five years before returning to Los Angeles. There she lived with her Uncle Neyle Morrow, a successful actor who appeared in many Samuel Fuller films. She worked for several years as a teacher for blind and autistic children.
Pinkie moved to the Monterey Bay area three years ago to be closer to her sister Marie Gilmore and her niece Eva Anderson.
Her father Lester Van Deusen, who came from a family who built the first hardware stores in San Francisco and Los Angeles, died in 1979. Her mother Clementine Marx Van Deusen moved to Los Angeles to be an actress, and was on contract with Warner Bros before her marriage, died in 1986.
Pinkie is survived by her sister Marie Gilmore and nieces Rose Golder and Eva Anderson.
Pinkie's family would like to thank her caregivers; her great niece Alisha, Lupe, Saane, and Mele. They would also like to thank Dr. Lee, Dr. Carmen, Dr. Centurion, hospice, Westland House, and palliative care, as well as Father Michael Volk for his countless visits to provide Pinkie with peace and comfort.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Seaside on Wednesday, February 9th at 11:00 am.


View the online memorial for Clementine "Pinkie" Black