Duran Duran’s cover art for Rio was a simple but unforgettable one, featuring an illustration of a red-lipped smiling woman. Four decades after the ‘80s jam was released, the foxy lady drawn on the cover has been identified as Marcie Hunt, who was a model back then.
In response to the discovery, Marcie Hunt expressed her gratitude on Instagram, adding that she played songs off the album at her wedding. She admitted that Duran Duran was one of her favorite groups and was grateful to have captivated fans and listeners with her seductive and charming smile.
Hunting for the mystery woman on Duran Duran’s ‘Rio’ album cover
Discovering Hunt was no easy task as expert Mark Walker invested time, effort, and energy into finding who she was. He purchased many magazines from the ‘80s, hoping to find one that matched the face on the vinyl until he did after seeing a 1981 issue of Vogue Paris. He initially had doubts about her sunglasses and fedora hat but eventually confirmed it to be her.
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Hunt’s image was created by Patrick Nagel, whose works are being specialized upon by the likes of Walker. Nagel was focused on making art out of beautiful women including Playboy models between the ‘70s and ‘80s. Sadly, Nagel died from a heart defect in 1984 when he was only 38, however, his works remain respected.
Meet Hunt
Hunt appeared in many magazines in the ‘80s, which is no surprise due to her captivating beauty. She is now retired and runs a California winery, Dos Lagos Vineyards, with her husband Dinkel while doing art as well. She is grateful for the honor of being celebrated many decades after posing for Rio’s cover and thanks her newly acquired fans for the recognition.
Duran Duran fans took to Instagram in reaction to the band’s post, which detailed how Hunt was found. “Some would say ‘a cherry ice cream smile,’” someone wrote with a heart emoji. “Very cool to finally see this. The ‘Rio’ cover art and her inspiration for it have graced my walls since the release of the album,” another added.