Candy Jones, 64; Highest-Paid Model of 1940s ‘Cover Girl’ Era

Candy Jones, the leggy beauty pageant winner who became the highest-paid model of the 1940s “Cover Girl” era and later a radio talk show co-host, has died at the age of 64.

Miss Jones, whose real name was Jessica Arline Wilcox, died of cancer Thursday in Lenox Hill Hospital.

She won the Miss Atlantic City beauty contest when she was 16. Her prize included a trip to New York City, where her modeling career began.

The tall, blue-eyed blonde was hired by the Conover modeling agency and she later married its founder, Harry Conover. Their 1946 marriage ended in divorce.

It was Conover who suggested that she use the professional name Candy Johnson, but she signed her contract Candy Jones and the name stuck.

Miss Jones became the first model to earn $35 an hour, tremendous pay in those days, and the first to be featured on the covers of 11 magazines at one time.

She was named model of the year in 1943 and was the model for a postage stamp honoring women who served in the armed forces in World War II.

In 1972, she married New York radio talk show host Long John Nebel, and they served as co-hosts on a late night show. She continued on the show after his death in 1978.

She also wrote beauty advice books, judged beauty and fashion pageants and ran a string of charm schools for more than 20 years.