The Passing of Florence “Flo” Anthony

By Katlean de Monchy —

I am hartbroken to share the death of Florence “Flo” Anthony early Thursday August 6 after a battle with cancer. She was 74.

 

Florence “Flo” Anthony in one of her many portraits. She liked to wear red.

Flo was a legend in journalism and a cherished contributor to EastHampton.com, as well on radio, with the Amsterdam News,  the New York Post and the New York Daily News. In her younger days she was a television correspondent for all of the daytime shows, like Rikki Lake and a vital part of the E Entertainment crew. She had star qualiry. But men are allowed to become older on television. Women, not so much.

She was more than a gifted entertainment reporter — she was a trailblazer for so many other reporters, a woman with an exetraordinary ability to make people around her feel special. She had a quick wit, and incredible stories to tell that went back to her early days as a publicist for Muhammad Ali, O. J. Simpson and the Jackson family, with whom she was extremely close.

Witb Angela Bassett. we’re guessing about 1998, when she made “When Stella Got Her Groove Back.”

Sometimes when telling a story she would just sip her chardonnay, and then stop and smile. You knew there was more to it, but that was for another day, or perhaps never. Fifty years of secrets. 

Flo had decades of knowledge of the black entertainment world, from the time she started working in PR until she switched to journalism. She brought readers and listeners into unlnown ranks of celebrities and sports figures, and welcomed them into new circles of black philanthropy and culture.

Their special relationship spanned years: Florence “Flo” Anthony and Jean Shafiroff

She had a friend in the philanthropist Jean Shafiroff here in the Hamptons. They bonded over such charities as the Southampton African-American Museum and truly appreciated each other. She brought out a warmth in Jean that others faiiled to see.

 

 

Flo had a great smile, the kind they can’t teach budding “on-air personalities,” and kept human connections at the center of her dealings. She often developed friendships with people she covered. She may have dealt in  gossip, but never anything mean, especially if it involved children.

 

Michaek Spinks and Flo Anthony had an on and off again relationship from the 1980s until they married in 2026.

For many years she has been the companion of the Olympic boxer Michael Spinks and was often present in boxing circles. Boxing News was one of the first outlets to announce her death.
She and Michael Spinks were married at City Hall in January.

Michael Spinks and Florence Anthony. She once did PR for him.

I was honored to have had her voice as part of EastHampton.com, and will always remember her generosity, humor and passion for storytelling, as well as her sometimes contankerrous reaction to my editing, before she would say, “Oh, OK.”
Flo leaves an incredible legacy and will be deeply missed by everyone who knew her.