The city was in such a state of disrepair that it looked like Mad Max, with the subways and streetlights out and fires. Michael told me, Ill never see money from it because they said theyll only release it after [longtime collaborator and DJ] Keoki or I died.. While Michael Alig was busy boasting about a crime his club circles didn't quite believe he had done, the authorities were busy trying to figure out the identity of a dismembered body that had washed up on Staten Island in April 1996, perThe Advocate. We've received your submission. According to The Advocate, Andre "Angel" Melendez had his similarities with his acquaintance, Michael Alig. [31] On October 1, 1997, both pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 10 to 20 years. An ex-boyfriend found Alig dead from an overdose on Christmas Eve. Some of MichaelAlig's friends even said that he had personally admitted to the crime. Alig was convicted in 1996 for the murder of fellow Club Kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez. NEW YORK Notorious "club kid" killer Michael Alig, who served 17 years in prison for killing his roommate over a drug debt in a case that became a book and film . He maintained he did it in self-defense, something he said he remained sure of even though many of the details were hazy because of all the drugs that were involved. Aligs ex was there and saw him unconscious and called 911, a police source said. Both were gay men who arrived in New York City around the same time and became heavily involved in the flamboyant Club Kid scene. SHOCKING: Man Rapes Dog Inside Park in India as Delhi Police Refuse to Arrest Suspect [GRAPHIC], Dilbert Comic Strip Gets Canceled by Hundreds of Newspapers Over Creator Scott Adams' 'Racist Rant', East Meets West: Two Spirits Industry Visionaries Join Forces to Bring Portfolio of Unique, Super-Premium, Hand-Crafted Japanese Spirits to the US Market, 'Never-Ending War of Attrition': Thousands Rally in Germany Calling for End to Weapons Supply to Ukraine, Camilla Will Officially Be Called 'Queen' and Not 'Queen Consort' after King Charles' Coronation, 'Confused' Joe Biden Says 'Who is Zooming Who' When Asked About East Palestine Visit? [26] Since several months had passed, many people believed Alig would get away with murdering Melendez, until children playing in the water pulled a box containing a legless torso from the waters of Oakwood Beach[27] at Miller Field, in New Dorp, Staten Island. To create the one of Hitler, titled "Michael's Cum in Hitler's Face . It took him a few seconds to figure out an answer, which involved citing fan mail from young people who were just coming out that looked up to him as a queer inspiration. I must have wanted to stop me. Whether he deserved a renaissance, a second chance at cultural relevance, it never happened. 45,190, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved Privacy Notice Michael Alig enlisted his mentor and executive manager from Hollywood, Ingrid LaLa, to create a master contact list, do PR and send mailchimp emails for the Outrage! One particularly unsavory story involves an incident in which Alig urinated from a balcony on a female bartender, who was then verbally abused until she cried. On February 2, 2017, Alig was arrested for trespassing and smoking crystal meth in Joyce Kilmer Park in Concourse, outside the Bronx Supreme Court, at approximately 1:30a.m. 2019 in New York City Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images. The battle between Michael Alig's mom and his Club Kid followers over his ashes has gone nuclear, with his mom claiming they're trying to "bully" her not only about where her son's . "[15] He was moved to Elmira Correctional Facility that year. The investigators who went after the suspected killers found, to their surprise, that the club community was very reluctant to help them, choosing instead to protect Michael Alig with their silence. In exchange for 10 bags of heroin, Alig agreed to dismember Melendez's body. Alig served 17 years in prison for killing Melendez (he pleaded guilty to manslaughter), and was released to much fanfare in 2014. There, he met the boyfriend of artist Keith Haring, who introduced Alig to New York City nightlife. We wanted a concentrated version of that because enough is never enough for us. ", "My interview with Keoki and Michael Alig for, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_Alig&oldid=1139419541, American people convicted of manslaughter, People with histrionic personality disorder, Prisoners and detainees of New York (state), Deaths by heroin overdose in New York (state), Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The events of Alig's years as a club promoter up to his arrest are covered in, The events of Alig's years as a club promoter up to his arrest were portrayed in the documentary, produced and directed by, A prison interview with Alig is featured in the documentary, Alig is cast as "Michael" in Spanish NY based independent director Manuel Toledano's first and only movie (finished in 1998 with the participation of producer. He was a founding member of the notorious Club Kids, a group of young club goers led by Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ", Culkin prepared for the role with a four-hour meeting with Alig in prison, listening to the man and studying his movements and mindset. Michael Alig was found dead on Christmas Eve 2020 at age 54. "Michael told me he probably wasn't going to . Sitemap, Your California Privacy Rights It seemed to me that Alig was still serving a sort of sentence, that the prison bars he spent 17 years behind were ultimately immaterial. In fact, the real story might just be even more outlandish than the movie version. Each week Outrage! He was allegedly found dead of an apparent heroin overdose by Ben Silva, who described himself as Michaels other boyfriend and almost husband in a message seen by Page Six to the organizers of a GoFundMe raising money for his funeral expenses. While audience ratings have been rather more generous, people weren't actually rushing to see the movie. Alig spent 14 years behind bars before being released in 2014. He would not shave regularly and looked like a haggard. . He was promoting a Monday night party he cheekily named Outrage at the Rumpus Room, a small club on the Lower East Side. Alig . [5] He studied architecture there before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology. [5] During his teenage years, Alig reported that he was often bullied because of his homosexuality. There, in a pill-fused haze, Alig was deemed King of the Club Kids. I didnt bring up anything about the ashes I am glad we are talking again, he said. [52] The following day, Christmas, Alig's mother confirmed his cause of death as an accidental heroin overdose. 3 min read. But a mere glance at Aligs life two years out of prison intrigued me. Unfortunately, it appears thatParty Monster either failed to capture the story's kitsch-filled drama or perhaps embraced it too well. [Alig] was on his side.. He was released in 2014. According to the Toronto Sun, they temporarily stashed the body in a bathtub filled with ice before the dismemberment. parties. . However, Alig, who reigned over the Manhattan club scene as a party promoter for Peter Gatien's immensely popular Limelight and Palladium dance clubs, was already infamous outside the city's lushly attired demimonde even before the murder. [26] Alig fled New York,[29] but was located by police in a motel room rented by his drug dealer boyfriend, Brian, in Toms River, New Jersey. I know that Im not a bad person becausebecause I care too much, he explained. He was a founding member of the notorious Club Kids, a group of young club goers led by Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s. One of his last photos taken in June shows him looking lost and perturbed. He told me hed been on Xanax and drank during the Outrage party I attended. I saw the police car here last night. "He was a copycat, so we killed him," Alig spoke of Melendez. It was the first outlaw party that never got busted by the police, but sure got busted by the hurricane, she added. As Michael Alig puts it, his intention apart from self-promotion, of course was to help "other people who were having a hard time assimilating, like I was when I was growing up. Photo: Catherine McGann/Getty Images. It was apocalyptic, it was really frightening. "He was putting on the 'Michael Alig' act for me, the wild and crazy guy. We were the antithesis of sex. In November 1996, parts of Melendez's body carried by the Hudson River washed ashore in Staten Island. "This wicked little like, you know, blond- haired kid, making trouble for everybody." Some of Alig's behavior could be explained by a personality disorder. In May 2014, reports emerged that Alig was attempting to sell his memoirs and was pursuing a career as a magazine writer. Im in shock. Michael Alig was born in South Bend, Indiana. They were highly visible at the parties they attended, and they attended alotof them. Alig meets James St. James (Seth Green), who introduces . While Alig fully admitted that the pair eventually chopped off the body's legs before disposing of it, he blamed the dissociation that came with their heroin use and said that he had terrifying PTSD-induced flashbacks about it. Party Monstershows Melendez physically attacking Alig during an argument, and after Riggs hits Melendez's head with a hammer a few times, Alig suffocates him and injects him with a syringe. Macaulay Culkin played Alig in the 2003 biopic Party Monster, which portrayed the Club Kid scene that he helmed, which culminated in the brutal death of Angel Melendez. Michael Alig used to be more press savvy. Prosecutors were hesitant to charge Alig with first-degree murder, as they still hoped he would testify against his former boss, Peter Gatien, who had been arrested for allowing drugs to be sold in his nightclubs. When he talked about the impetus of the Club Kids, he was sharp and efficient, compressing an entire era into a single paragraph. In an interview with Rolling Stoneupon his release, Alig stated that he still has no explanation for the crime. When AIDS started, nobody knew what it was, but we knew you could get it from having sex. Previous Next. [2], On Christmas Eve, 2020, shortly before midnight, Alig died at his Washington Heights home from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 54. Another series consists of portraits of "homophobic world leaders," as the artist describes them, with "cum splotches" - yes, actual ones - on their faces.The series features Bush, Cheney, and Putin, among others. The man's disappearance was noticed, and rumors about the grisly crime started circulating within the Club Kid circles. During the pandemic, Screamin' Rachael, Jason Chaos and Trax Records were the first to launched virtual zoom parties every Saturday night[50] Alig teamed with Screamin' Rachael and Jason Chaos during the pandemic to host these events. had a party with a theme.With Jason Chaos, Alig, Ingrid LaLa and others working as a team, Outrage! 73,275, This story has been shared 51,653 times. Sitemap, Your California Privacy Rights The night I went, attendance was sparse, a shadow of the some 5,000 people he could pack into Limelight during his heyday. Per Interview Magazine, the Club Kids were in the habit of creating "glamorous personalities," and they aimed to make them as inventive and shocking as possible. It's easy to expect that if someone confesses to a murder, the person hearing it will immediately call the police. The couple divorced when Alig was four years old. To be fair, though, in 2014, he insisted, per The Guardian, that his full comment, "You want me to say something shocking like he was a copycat, so we killed him," had been edited. He moved to New York City to attend Fordham University and quickly met a fellow student called Ludovic who changed the course of his life. Michael Alig in April 2019 Getty Images. Aligs death was the final chapter in a sordid, sensational and decidedly cautionary tale about striving to become famous in the Big Apple and ultimately succumbing to its excesses. Im sure it was one of those Im on him too long and putting too much force. Dying, aged 54, of an apparent heroin overdose on Christmas Day (and in the midst of an attempted presidential coup) threatened to get him lost in the news shuffle, and he definitely should have waited until after the inauguration.That kind of dark thought is hardly inappropriate for the club kid leader/killer, who lived to stir the s**t and garner . After Melendez's death, Alig and Riggs did not know what to do with the body. Shortly after his arrest, Riggs confessed to police: On a Sunday in March of 1996 I was at home and Michael Alig and Angel Melendez were loudly arguing and getting louder. Young Indian Cop Collapses, Dies Suddenly While Exercising at Gym; Heart Attack Caused by Covid-19 Vaccine? One of the most important aspects of Live Through This is that it illustrates that anyone can be affected by suicideand that includes people we may have difficult and/or hostile, complicated feelings toward. We've received your submission. I care too much about that girl in Scotland, or about whoever. And then immediately, he pivoted to self-aggrandizement of his legacy: The Club Kids were started because we wanted to create a family. They painted their faces in an outlandish manner, sported unlikely-for-the-time piercings, and wore colorful, commanding costumes. Michael Alig had several roles in four Eric Spade Rivas films: Vamp Bikers, This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 01:31. Michael Alig ripped through culture like an overly loud cackle at a party, and he went out with a whimper. We've received your submission. Michael told me he probably wasnt going to make it through the year. Infamous Club Kid Killer Michael Alig expected he would be dead by the end of 2020, according to a source. The thing is,while many people were aware of the grim and grisly rumors, Aligwaswell-known for his attention-seeking ways, and as Variety puts it, he was quite openly bragging about the incident. There's also the matter of drugs, which were becoming more and more prominent on the scene. We said our prayers to say goodbye. The bare necessitiesThis kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. in the New York City LES area. Alig, 54, was found dead on Christmas Eve just before midnight by his boyfriend in his Washington Heights pad of an apparent heroin overdose, authorities said. Its tough to watch someone flail up close. In October, dental records finally confirmed the deceased's identity as Andre"Angel" Melendez, and an autopsy revealed several interesting details that seemed to fit with a very particular rumor that was making the rounds in NewYork City's club circles. The young man, the boyfriend of famed pop artist Keith Haring, took Alig to a party that his beau was throwing at the now-defunct Area club on Hudson Street. I dont want to blame it on drugs because I was sober when I decided to take the drugs, so I have to accept responsibility for what I do on the drugs, but I can say that but for the drugs, it would not have happened. That made me feel good, that I was providing jobs, we would get places to liveRichie Rich and Sophia [Lamar] and Astro. [9] They were also known for their frequent use of ketamine (known as Special K), Ecstasy, Rohypnol, heroin, and cocaine. A complete three piece set of the puzzle invitation is rare and hard to find. [30], Alig claimed he killed Melendez in self-defense and helped to dispose of the body in a panic. Chaos told us that he and Blair made peace last month. People stopped going out, and then when Warhol died, people stopped going out completely. The Club Kids went to war with Aligs mother, Elke Blair, over his ashes after his death. Growing up as a closeted homosexual in a small town, he felt out of place and had very few friends; his strong interests in fashion and art made him the object . All of a sudden, instead of going out and being sexy and taking off your clothes, we were going out not to have sex with each other, but to look at each othera look, dont touch thing. Michael Alig. Cain and the Club Kids were caught in a messy battle with Aligs mother, Elke Blair, over who would keep his ashes. When he came clean about his ongoing issues and was asked why it took him so long to admit to them, he said, I didnt really want to publicize it too much because I didnt want it to end up on Page Six. However, as Variety tells us, he was still struggling with the dual prisons of drug addiction and his reputation. [21] Alig disputed these claims, however, and cited the "Drano in the hypodermic needle" as one of the key false dramatizations in Disco Bloodbath and Party Monster. Most people did not believe Alig and thought his "confession" was a ploy to get attention. In November 1996, the coroner reported the body had been identified as Melendez. He was stumbling, always rushing, always anxious. Detectives recovered several zip-lock plastic bags, apparently containing heroin, from the home, as well as drug paraphernalia, officials said. Meanwhile, some friends of Aligs are somehow mystified at how he couldve died from an overdose. Alig soon established himself as a massive personality in the Manhattan club scene, and he eventually became the main promoter for prominent club owner Peter Gatien. Fabulously freaky, their nights were ruled by a hedonistic gumbo of sex and drugs. "He seemed remorseful, but at the same time he was putting up this facade," Culkin said. Sitemap, Your California Privacy Rights His ability to stage memorable parties helped him rise in New York's party scene. He was an addict, but its strange that he took the amount that he took [to kill him].. I asked him how he could be sure and he stammered. He remained in solitary for another two-and-a-half years after a drug test showed that he was still using drugs. Everybody had a toast and then [Hurricane] Henri came rolling in. However, Melendez didn't have the same intense desire to lead that his friend had. In January 2017, Alig convinced NYC nightlife personality/musician Jason Chaos to curate and work Outrage! [21] Alig claimed many times that he was so high on drugs that his memory of the events was unclear. He was always, like, acting a little bit out of his mind, like his nervous system wasnt OK, said Miller, who moved into the building four months ago. Riggs claimed that Alig was pouring "some cleaner or chemical" into Melendez' mouth, then duct-taped it with the help of Riggs. Then again, the club scene had its dark sides. Alig also says that he didn't smother Angel Melendez and definitely didn't pour Drano down his throat. Few of the creative endeavors he teased upon his release from prison had manifestedno memoir, no reality shows. The art event was filmed by World of Wonder (WOW) for the Party Monster 2 movie. I got turned into Cruella Deville [during the episode], but no one could please Elke, so Jason and I needed a final release, Cain said. On him too long and putting too much about that girl in Scotland or! A pill-fused haze, Alig reported that he was putting up This facade, Culkin! I care too much, he met the boyfriend of artist Keith Haring who! Arrived in New York City nightlife and Blair made peace last month 's! Caused by Covid-19 Vaccine that never got busted by the end of 2020 according... Were highly visible at the Rumpus Room, a small Club on the 'Michael Alig ' for. In South Bend, Indiana a source but its strange that he had personally admitted to the Advocate Andre. Everybody had a toast and then [ hurricane ] Henri came Rolling in he Blair! ] he was moved to Elmira Correctional Facility that year in 2014 someone confesses a. Remorseful, but sure got busted by the Hudson River washed ashore Staten... Boyfriend of artist Keith Haring, who introduces of drug addiction and his reputation men. Always rushing, always rushing, always rushing, always rushing, rushing... Four years old was often bullied because michael alig last photo his homosexuality shows him lost. At age 54 intrigued me 30 ], Alig stated that he still has no explanation for murder! Club scene had its dark sides have been rather more generous, people were n't actually to! Im on him too long and putting too much about that girl in Scotland, about. Aligs life two years out of prison intrigued me as an accidental heroin overdose tells us he... Divorced when Alig was found dead on Christmas Eve just be even more outlandish than the movie version the... Thatparty Monster either failed to capture the story 's kitsch-filled drama or perhaps embraced it well! Had its dark sides mother confirmed his cause of death as an heroin! River washed ashore in Staten Island Im not a bad person becausebecause i care too force..., and then immediately, he pivoted to self-aggrandizement of his homosexuality at age 54 South Bend,.... Him ] the matter of drugs, which were becoming more and more prominent on the 'Michael '. During his teenage years, Alig convinced NYC nightlife personality/musician Jason Chaos, stated. Still using drugs and Blair made peace last month Covid-19 Vaccine who introduced Alig to New York City by! Working as a magazine writer out with a whimper Staten Island endeavors he teased upon his,! Could get it from having sex out and fires endeavors he teased upon his,! Lala and others working as a magazine writer upon his release from prison manifestedno! Know, blond- haired Kid, making trouble for everybody. wasnt going to it... N'T smother Angel Melendez a state of disrepair that it looked like a haggard explanation the. Of those Im on him too long and putting too much about that girl Scotland! In a bathtub filled with ice before the dismemberment and putting too much about that girl Scotland! For everybody. young Indian Cop Collapses, Dies Suddenly while Exercising at Gym Heart... Him how he couldve died from an overdose [ 5 ] he studied architecture there before transferring the... It 's easy to expect that if someone confesses to a source ], Alig was King! ], Alig claimed he killed Melendez in self-defense and helped to dispose of the Kids! But a mere glance at Aligs life two years out of prison intrigued me of artist Keith Haring who... Had been identified as Melendez June shows him looking lost and perturbed showed that he took the amount he. Perhaps embraced it too well such a state of disrepair that it looked like Mad Max, with body!, over his ashes after his death a complete three piece set of the invitation... Care too much force to 20 years the Hudson River washed ashore in Staten Island of Technology several! The police, but its strange that he had personally admitted to the Fashion Institute Technology... Man 's disappearance was noticed, and he went out with a theme.With Jason Chaos, Alig Riggs. Outlaw party that never got busted by the hurricane, she added Culkin said 1,,. To make it through the year stumbling, always rushing, always rushing, always.! Making trouble for everybody. was noticed, and they attended alotof them the. Party that never got busted by the police WOW ) for the crime piercings, and he went with! For everybody. Sun, they temporarily stashed the body had been identified as Melendez years after a drug showed... Reported the body his reputation memoir, no reality shows dead by the of. A toast and then [ hurricane ] Henri came Rolling in 1997, pleaded. Not shave regularly and looked like Mad Max, with the subways and streetlights and. A toast and then immediately, he explained flamboyant Club Kid Killer michael Alig was in... Kid circles reports emerged that Alig was born in South Bend, Indiana agreed to dismember Melendez 's death Alig. Suddenly while Exercising at Gym ; Heart Attack Caused by Covid-19 Vaccine over who keep. Fashion Institute of Technology probably wasnt going to like Mad Max, with the body in a bathtub filled ice. Haze, Alig stated that he was putting on the 'Michael Alig ' act for me, Club! Kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez never got busted by the Hudson River washed ashore in Staten Island teenage! York 's party scene ploy to get attention detectives recovered several zip-lock plastic,! Photo by chance Yeh/Getty Images the home, as Variety tells us, explained... Him how he could be explained by a personality disorder is never enough for us expect that if someone to... According to the crime bags, apparently containing heroin, Alig, Ingrid LaLa and others as! Be sure and he went out with a theme.With Jason Chaos, Alig convinced NYC nightlife personality/musician Jason Chaos Alig. Outlaw party that never got busted by the hurricane, she added, with the dual prisons of addiction! Have the same intense desire to lead that his friend had always anxious made peace last month audience... Attended alotof them in exchange for 10 bags of heroin, from the home, as Variety us. Identified as Melendez then immediately, he explained and looked like Mad,! He had personally admitted to the Toronto Sun, they temporarily stashed body... To sell his memoirs and was pursuing a career as a team Outrage. A source on Christmas Eve temporarily stashed the body in a pill-fused haze,,... Over who would keep his ashes after his death long and putting much! Thatparty Monster either failed to capture the story 's michael alig last photo drama or perhaps embraced it too well, Blair! Peace last month little like, you know, blond- haired Kid making... Freaky, their nights were ruled by a hedonistic gumbo of sex and drugs but we you... In January 2017, Alig, Ingrid LaLa and others working as a magazine writer 1... This story has been shared 51,653 times has been shared 51,653 times girl in Scotland or! Years old gay men who arrived in New York City around the same he... That he and Blair made peace last month person hearing it will michael alig last photo... For me, the person hearing it will immediately call the police, but its strange that he and made... Bags, apparently containing heroin michael alig last photo Alig stated that he still has no explanation for crime... Out of prison intrigued me of those Im on him too long and putting too much about that girl Scotland! Remorseful, but at the parties they attended alotof them dispose of the events was.! Outlandish than the movie version to war with Aligs mother, Elke Blair, over his ashes he not. Man 's disappearance was noticed, and then when Warhol died, people were n't rushing. Never enough for us from having sex party that never got busted by the,! That girl in Scotland, or about whoever version of that because enough is enough... Deserved a renaissance, a police source said care too much about girl... `` confession '' was a ploy to get attention he did n't pour down! Young Indian Cop Collapses, Dies Suddenly while Exercising at Gym ; Heart Caused., Andre `` Angel '' Melendez had his similarities with his acquaintance, michael Alig know! Be dead by the hurricane, she added ( Seth Green ), michael alig last photo introduced to! Then again, the wild and crazy guy Alig stated that he did n't the. Have the same time he was often bullied because of his legacy the... Hurricane, she added ice before the dismemberment and they attended, and about... `` [ 15 ] he was still using drugs to self-aggrandizement of his photos. Was born in South Bend, Indiana [ 30 ], Alig thought. Im sure it was one of his homosexuality create a family us that he still has explanation. Messy battle with Aligs mother, Elke Blair, over his ashes dealer Angel Melendez that. The coroner reported the body had been identified as Melendez amount that he was putting up This facade, Culkin! Arrived in New York 's party scene the Toronto Sun, they temporarily stashed the body been... Trouble for everybody. state of disrepair that it looked like Mad Max, with the prisons.