WE REMEMBER EUNICE JOHNSON: Widow of Ebony magazine founder and creator of Fashion Fair was 93.

      Johnson died Sunday, according to a statement Monday from Johnson Publishing Company Inc. Her cause of death was not revealed.

      Eunice Johnson may have lived in the shadows of her powerful husband, but the Johnson publishing empire was a joint effort. While the magazine was John H. Johnson's idea, naming it Ebony was Mrs. Johnson's.

      Johnson had been the director and producer of the Ebony Fashion Fair since 1961. The traveling fashion show raises money for charity and is staged in nearly 200 cities each year.

      She also served as a secretary-treasurer of Johnson Publishing, which produces JET and Ebony, two of the longest-running black-oriented magazines in the country. It also included the Fashion Fair Makeup Line, which Mrs. Johnson created.

      "Mrs. Johnson has always been a woman ahead of her time," the publisher said. "Under her direction, Mrs. Johnson made a tremendous impact on the fashion industry, showcasing the best in style on African-American models of various shapes, sizes and skin tones."

      Johnson Publishing is now run by Mrs. Johnson's daughter, Linda Johnson Rice. John H. Johnson died of heart failure in 2005.

      "Mrs. Johnson will be sincerely missed, and her life and work will continue to be defined by her contributions to the world of fashion and design for years to come," the company said.