
Juliette Powell, 54, suddenly on June 3, after contracting acute bacterial meningitis. Born in Manhattan, Powell moved to Montreal at the age of eight with her French-Canadian mother. She began competing in beauty pageants at a young age, going on to become the first Black Miss Canada in 1989 and later represented Canada in the Miss Universe Pageant. Powell transitioned into media in the early 1990s, initially as a VJ with MusiquePlus, while studying business at McGill University. She went on to host weekly dance show Bouge de là!, before moving to Toronto in 1996 to become the host of MuchMusic’s Electric Circus and French Kiss, while continuing her studies at the University of Toronto. She moved into business reporting in 1999 at CP24, going on to do work with Bravo, Biography, Star, CBC, and E!, among other networks. Powell more recently had turned her attention to technology, ethics and AI, teaching in New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications program and co-authoring The AI Dilemma: 7 Principles for Responsible Technology in 2023. Read more here.