Im in shock. In the 1980s and 1990s, something truly extraordinary was brewing in New York. The wilder, the better. After ten years in prison, club kid turned murderer Michael Alig was clean (finally) and obsessed with his reentry into New York nightlife, writes Jonathan Van Meter in this 2006 New York Magazine profile. The final chapter of a story full of tragic twists and turns came on December 25, 2020, when Alig was found lifeless in his apartment in Manhattan. I used to hear a lot of drama from his place a lot of people screaming, next-door neighbor Elvis Miller, 27, told The Post on Friday. It's like the old saying 'What do you have to do to get attention around here kill somebody? to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. After six weeks, Alig put a stop to the phone calls claiming, "People think I'm having a grand old time. [5] He studied architecture there before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology. DJ Keoki started to DJ at a weekly Monday night party called Outrage! [6] Seeking a less conservative social environment after graduating in 1984, he attended Fordham University in New York City. I wasnt particularly surprised when, about a month after its publication, Alig was arrested for smoking meth in public (outside the Bronx Supreme Court building, no less). The killers were eventually caught and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. [3] The Office of the Chief Medical examiner in New York City verified in May 2021 that Alig died from acute intoxication from the drugs fentanyl, acetylfentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. He remained in solitary for another two-and-a-half years after a drug test showed that he was still using drugs. Setting aside her point about academia, I've always understood her to be defending, even celebrating, the roles in a vital arts community of insistent non-conformism; a lack of judgment around . Per The Guardian, the Club Kid scene started as an attempt to give people who had been outcasts in their own communities a place to belong. He was one of the ringleaders of the Club Kids, a group of young New York City clubgoers who became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 1990s. I had seen him (or someone using his picture) on Grindr at some point between our interview and his drug arrest, looking to parTy. Naturally, I didnt keep in touch with him, but the report of his death last week didnt surprise me, either. His ability to stage memorable parties helped him rise in New York's party scene. Alig himself has noted that because the name of the game was disaffection, the verbal abuse could be rather extreme. [I was] a misfit from the Midwest who came to New York City in search of acceptance, opportunity and a whole lot of fun, Alig recalled to The Post. Aligs life was literally made for Hollywood, with his saga turned into a movie in 2003. Both men were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. Alig also says that he didn't smother Angel Melendez and definitely didn't pour Drano down his throat. Alig meets James St. James (Seth Green), who introduces . In March 1996, Alig and another friend, Robert Freeze Riggs, got into a beef with a small-time drug-peddling pal, Angel Melendez, while they were all on ketamine. Its tough to watch someone flail up close. It was the first outlaw party that never got busted by the police, but sure got busted by the hurricane, she added. I did something really terrible, but Im not a bad person, is how he put it at one point. He was a convicted killer who spent 17 years in prison for manslaughter after killing and dismembering his drug dealer. He along with fellow 'Club Kid' Robert 'Freeze' Riggs were arrested for a brutal murder, with Alig pleading guilty to manslaughter in 1997 for killing Melendez. "Club Kid Killer" Michael Alig the famously flamboyant party promoter who ended up busted for murder . 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. Alig and Robert Freeze Riggs served time in prison for killing Club Kid member Andre Angel Melendez, dismembering his body and tossing it in the Hudson River in 1996. Later, they cut out the body and dumped the parts in Hudson River. 73,275, This story has been shared 51,653 times. This, combined with peer pressure to constantly outdo himself, caused him to become erratic and sometimes outright nasty. "There isn't an ounce of genuine affection on display," David Hansen of Newsweek said of the movie while also wondering why the filmmakers insisted on staying on the subject after already making a documentary about Alig. The city was in such a state of disrepair that it looked like Mad Max, with the subways and streetlights out and fires. Thanks for contacting 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. Terms of Use Police officials told us there were no obvious signs of trauma.. "Not only is there no reason, there's no justification," he said. People stopped going out, and then when Warhol died, people stopped going out completely. [30], Alig claimed he killed Melendez in self-defense and helped to dispose of the body in a panic. Michael Alig . These days, it may be difficult to understand just how big a deal Michael Alig was back in his heyday. Alig served 17 years in prison for killing Melendez (he pleaded guilty to manslaughter), and was released to much fanfare in 2014. Whether he deserved a renaissance, a second chance at cultural relevance, it never happened. In the end, though, drugs proved to be a much greater enemy. 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. It seems that the tactic worked, because according to the Toronto Sun, Melendez was the go-to drug dealer at the Club Kids' favorite haunts, Limelight and The Tunnel. True Hollywood Story", "PHOTO CALL: Meet the Club Kids of the New Immersive Musical Adaptation of "Party Monster" at A.R.T. [15], However, Musto recalls: "By the time Alig sent out a party invite joking about the murder, a lot of people wanted to kill him (especially since a source was floating a more premeditated version of the killing). Photo: Getty Images. Most detailed account anywhere! And that was probably because of his want for more drugs. In Riggs' original statement to the police, Alig and Melendez had indeed been fighting, at which point he grabbed the hammer and hit the drug dealer. Culkin also stated that he aimed for more artistic endeavors and tried to avoid doing the kind of movies that had made him famous. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), The Doobie Brothers announce 50th Anniversary Tour: Get tickets today, The 7 best home saunas of 2023, with expert tips on how to shop, This 2021 iPad is at its lowest price ever on Amazon, Save over $1,100 on this 65" LG Smart TV today on Amazon, The viral lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag is back in stock UPDATED, Coco Austin nearly busts out of red lace bra on ttty Tuesday, How Kate Middletons meaningful brooch connects her to Queen Elizabeth II, Fans troll Kim Kardashian for saving sexy two-piece look for kids prom, Drew Barrymore Struggles During Bungee Workout on The Drew Barrymore Show: I Cant Believe I Used to Be a Charlies Angel, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Bruce Lynn, publicist for the nightclub Limelight, has died at 67, Club Kids bid final farewell to Party Monster killer Michael Alig, Alig mom fears funeral costs will go unpaid because of ashes battle, Club Kids plan Michael Alig memorial after losing ashes battle with his mom, Alig, who once served time for a murder conviction, knew he would die, bullied by Aligs longtime confidante Rachael Cain, 'Annoyed' Aubrey Plaza mouths angry phrase during 'White Lotus' SAGs speech, Savannah Guthrie leaves 'Today' live broadcast early as Hoda Kotb remains absent, What really happened with Aubrey Plaza on SAG Awards stage, Christina Applegate attends SAG Awards 2023 as 'last awards show' amid MS battle, Carrie Underwood's closet laundry setup causes a stir: 'Genius', Meghan Markle 'disappointed' Harry had 'very little money' when they met: expert, King Charles evicting Harry, Meghan from Frogmore Cottage, giving to Andrew, Meghan, Harry brush off Frogmore eviction bombshell with night on the town, Jenna Bush Hager speaks out on Hoda Kotb's mysterious 'family health matter', Hoda Kotb's lengthy 'Today' show absence finally explained, 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting. Mini Bio (1) Michael Alig was born in South Bend, Indiana. This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. This kit packs $431 worth of premium skincare and haircare into a small packageand it's only $80 with the promo code. After The Limelight was closed by federal agents and an investigation found that Gatien was allowing drugs to be sold there, Melendez was fired. Shortly thereafter, he moved into Alig's Riverbank West apartment. 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. As Alig's popularity in the club scene grew, so did his drug use. 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. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), The Doobie Brothers announce 50th Anniversary Tour: Get tickets today, The 7 best home saunas of 2023, with expert tips on how to shop, This 2021 iPad is at its lowest price ever on Amazon, Save over $1,100 on this 65" LG Smart TV today on Amazon, The viral lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag is back in stock UPDATED, Coco Austin nearly busts out of red lace bra on ttty Tuesday, How Kate Middletons meaningful brooch connects her to Queen Elizabeth II, Fans troll Kim Kardashian for saving sexy two-piece look for kids prom, Drew Barrymore Struggles During Bungee Workout on The Drew Barrymore Show: I Cant Believe I Used to Be a Charlies Angel, 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Bruce Lynn, publicist for the nightclub Limelight, has died at 67, Club Kids bid final farewell to Party Monster killer Michael Alig, Club Kid Killer Michael Aligs cause of death revealed, Alig mom fears funeral costs will go unpaid because of ashes battle, 'Annoyed' Aubrey Plaza mouths angry phrase during 'White Lotus' SAGs speech, Savannah Guthrie leaves 'Today' live broadcast early as Hoda Kotb remains absent, What really happened with Aubrey Plaza on SAG Awards stage, Christina Applegate attends SAG Awards 2023 as 'last awards show' amid MS battle, Carrie Underwood's closet laundry setup causes a stir: 'Genius', Meghan Markle 'disappointed' Harry had 'very little money' when they met: expert, King Charles evicting Harry, Meghan from Frogmore Cottage, giving to Andrew, Meghan, Harry brush off Frogmore eviction bombshell with night on the town, Jenna Bush Hager speaks out on Hoda Kotb's mysterious 'family health matter', Hoda Kotb's lengthy 'Today' show absence finally explained, 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting. Alig also was homeless off and on admitting in 2018 that he turned to the gay-hook-up site Grindr at one point when he ran out of money just to have some place to sleep and at least once found himself camping out under a bridge. The 54-year-old former scene fixture-turned-slay convict was discovered by an ex-boyfriend just before midnight in his Washington Heights pad, authorities said. Due to the popularity of these events during the lockdown, NYC police investigated believing there was a real in person event when it was actually a virtual party. Alig . The Club Kids were out and about, and their open celebration of difference wasn't just a fringe thing, either. They eventually offered both Alig and Riggs a plea deal: a sentence of 10 to 20 years if they accepted the lesser charge of manslaughter. The New York Daily News reported that Alig was arraigned on drug possession and trespass charges, and pleaded guilty to trespass in exchange for a conditional discharge.[49]. 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