Duran Duran 'Rio' Girl Discovered 42 Years Later Living In Napa Valley

NAPA VALLEY, VA — Her name is not Rio and she doesn't dance on sand but she's a real-life model turned Napa Valley winery owner.

Some have even called her the "Mona Lisa" of Generation X. She is the woman smiling on the cover of Duran Duran's "Rio" album, released in May 1982. For years, no one, not even the band, knew the artwork was inspired by model Marcie Hunt, who these days is the owner of Dos Lagos Vineyards in Atlas Peak.

In her late teens and all of her 20s, Hunt was a fashion model. It was recently revealed that the late pop artist Patrick Nagel based the cover artwork for "Rio" on a photograph of Hunt in the February 1981 issue of Vogue France.

Originally from the Bay Area, Hunt began her modeling career in high school in Saratoga and was soon discovered in San Francisco by the Wilhelmina Agency of New York. She went later to Paris, and during her 14-year career, she appeared on close to 100 front covers, including Vogue, Tattler, Elle and Marie Claire. Paris is also where she developed a taste for Bordeaux wines.

She had no way of knowing what surprises still lie ahead for her.

Marcie's husband, Tom Dinkel, is also a Bay Area native and attended De La Salle High School in Concord. As a senior, he went to the Napa Valley La Salle Christian Brothers retreat and conference center. It was there that he became captivated by the vineyards and met the well-known Brother Timothy.

On one of their first dates, they set a goal to own a vineyard. It's been 12 years now and the former Paris fashion model and her husband, a former energy professional, are both leading much quieter but fulfilled lives. They've developed a deep connection with the vineyards, lakes, birds, and other wildlife that share the couple's magical 22-acre Atlas Peak property in Napa Valley.

Although Hunt is worlds away from her days as a fashion model in Paris, the world could not forget about her. According to a June 10 article on Musictimes.com, Mark Walker tracked down the original image source — a multi-page editorial spread for Angelo Tarlazzi in the February 1981 issue of Vogue France — and another fan, Sarah Bastos, then identified the porcelain-skinned, raven-haired beauty as Hunt, who was featured on several '80s magazine covers.

Nagel's technical art assistant, Barry Hahn, confirmed on Instagram that the stunning Tarlazzi photograph of Hunt — wearing a paisley blouse, graphic cat-eyed spectacles, and a fedora hat not unlike Duran bassist John Taylor's, but still instantly identifiable thanks to her inviting, toothy grin — was indeed the tear sheet used by his former boss.

The world has found her.

"I am amazed that after 42 years, I am 'Rio' on the famous album cover for Duran Duran," Marcie wrote on Instagram. "Tom and I had a DJ play 'Rio' at our wedding — now almost 31 years ago. I'm still so impressed by the tours and music Duran Duran has created and continues to create. So amazing! Thanks so much to the illustrator of this album cover, Patrick Nagel who is no longer with us. And Barry Hahn, his technical assistant, who confirmed that the cover and smile was inspired by this photo. Who knew!?"

Hunt in another Instagram post shared how Duran Duran was "one of her all-time favorite groups," and said she was grateful her "smile brought so much luck to these multi-talented musicians."

Duran Duran agreed neither the band nor Hunt had any idea Nagel was influenced by her image and used it to create the cover of their musical masterpiece.

"He certainly changed many things, most specifically removing her glasses, but he obviously loved her smile," the group said. "And that smile has been an iconic piece of Duran Duran history for decades."