He became part of the scenes exclusive, trend-setting group known as the Club Kids who were paid merely to show up and bring a bit of fabulousness to the mix, Alig recalled. He was flailing. Everything has to be completely over the top and exaggerated. ", Culkin prepared for the role with a four-hour meeting with Alig in prison, listening to the man and studying his movements and mindset. 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. 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. More press felt like an undeserved reward for the attention-voracious Aligespecially since Melendez has always been an afterthought in Aligs public narrative. It was the first outlaw party that never got busted by the police, but sure got busted by the hurricane, she added. He was an addict, but its strange that he took the amount that he took [to kill him].. In fact, The Village Voice reports that he and Melendez eventually came to be at odds over a significant drug debt. His club-era friend James St. James had written the book Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland, which served as the basis for Party Monster, and the dual pieces of fiction had become the "official" version of the events in the minds of the public. Alig began ingesting heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine with the best of them, as well as heavily boozing. They also appeared on Donahue, Geraldo, and The Joan Rivers Show. "And there wasn't even a cut on his head when they did the autopsy." "He hit him with the wooden end of the hammer, not the metal end," Alig said. 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. [29] Alig was arrested as was Riggs. 3 min read. The Club Kids were out and about, and their open celebration of difference wasn't just a fringe thing, either. However, he could never leave drugs even during his term in jail and the last six years of his life after he was paroled in 2014. . I did something really terrible, but Im not a bad person, is how he put it at one point. 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]. That said, he did discuss his accountability and the role drugs played with insightful ambivalence: To say [killing Melendez] was an overreaction is beyond the pale. He also insisted that they didn't actually intend to kill Melendez. The last time I saw him, a guy was knocking and asking for him. To create the one of Hitler, titled "Michael's Cum in Hitler's Face . In reality, he argued, the whole thing was a fairly bloodless affair they simply thought Melendez was unconscious, so they put him on a couch, where he asphyxiated. Infamous Club Kid Killer Michael Alig expected he would be dead by the end of 2020, according to a source. Alig who put together celebrated parties at famed clubs including the Limelight and Discoteria rose to infamy in 1996 after he was convicted of killing Andre Angel Melendez. 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Privacy Notice Afterwards, he and Riggs threw the box into the Hudson River. Michael Alig when he was released from prison in 2014 and 1993. Alig has also admitted that he was in the habit of urinating in the drinks. 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. In 2003, the movieParty Monster took a no-holds-barred look at New York City's club culture and its seedy, drug-fueled underbelly. Being a user, he would have a tolerance There mustve been something like fentanyl mixed with it, the first source said. 73,275, This story has been shared 51,653 times. According to The Guardian, there are many versions of the exact circumstances surrounding Andre"Angel" Melendez's death, thanks to the inaccurate depictions in various pop culture works and exaggerations by both the media and the Club Kids. Alig told me a few years ago that he never thought hed live to see 50, so anything that came after that milestone was gravy. Several bags of a variety of drugs were recovered by detectives from the scene, which once again reflects his troubled life post his release from jail six years back. It worked well for my job I was a promoter."[17]. 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 . True Hollywood Story", "PHOTO CALL: Meet the Club Kids of the New Immersive Musical Adaptation of "Party Monster" at A.R.T. Michael Alig. Thanks for contacting us. [1][14], Alig's parties also became notorious due in part to his own "bad behavior". His 1996 killing of his friend and drug dealer Andre Angel Melendez cemented the Kids legacy with a horrifying coda, chronicled in James St. Jamess acclaimed book Disco Bloodbath and immortalized in a documentary and narrative film, both named Party Monster. "Get him off of me" [Angel] started shaking him violently and banging him against the wall. Its hard to separate the two. Alig recalled to The Post how he and Riggs beat Melendez to death, then dismembered his body and tossed the parts into the Hudson River. Let's take a look at the messed up true story behind Party Monster. Its hard to say what percentage the drugs are responsible. Michael loves what he sees and becomes the most popular "club kid" in town that is, until drugs take hold and things start to go downhill fast. After discussing what to do with Melendez's body and who should do it, Riggs went to Macy's to buy knives and a box. 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. In October 1997, Alig pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter. By The Associated Press. His first parole request, in November 2006, was denied, reportedly after parole officers watched the film Party Monster (2003), a fictionalized account of Alig's life, starring Macaulay Culkin. Unfortunately, it appears thatParty Monster either failed to capture the story's kitsch-filled drama or perhaps embraced it too well. When AIDS started, nobody knew what it was, but we knew you could get it from having sex. Prince Harry gets rock-star greeting at Vax Live concert, This story has been shared 82,056 times. It alters your sense of time and, in this case, well say strength. We got the ball rolling for everybody.. I came to New York and provided an oasis where they could come and be celebrated.". I saw the police car here last night. Some might have found it strange to see Macaulay Culkin, most famous for his early work as Kevin McAllister in the Home Alone movies, playing Michael Alig, a glamor-obsessed clubber-turned-killer. 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. There were these giant clubs like Palladium designed for 7,000 people that had like 200 people in them. He was still trying, his little bug legs kicking aimlessly. [5] He studied architecture there before transferring to the Fashion Institute of Technology. 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 . 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. Most people did not believe Alig and thought his "confession" was a ploy to get attention. [22], In the weeks following Melendez's disappearance, Alig allegedly told "anyone who would listen" that he and Riggs had killed him. Alig was released from prison in 2014, but continued to chase his Club Kid heyday and do drugs. Mini Bio (1) Michael Alig was born in South Bend, Indiana. Michael Alig Photo by Inaki Vinaixa. Silva said in the message that he was sleeping next to [Alig] when he died. And said, Im the one who called 911 and the one who was with him all day literally.. The killers were eventually caught and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Alig waffled between claiming to be off drugs and admitting to doing a bump here and there. had a party with a theme.With Jason Chaos, Alig, Ingrid LaLa and others working as a team, Outrage! [16] Alig later claimed that after he completed his stint and was released, Gatien fired him. became a successful party and Alig was working in nightlife promotions again. Musto had previously reported on Alig's firing from The Limelight and noted the buzz about a missing club person. In 1997, he pleaded. The rest of the body was put into a large box Riggs found in the basement of their apartment. Alig's Club Kids included (among others): "Astro Erle", "Ernie Glam", "Gitsie", "Jennytalia", "Superstar DJ Keoki", Amanda Lepore, Charlie "Dash" Prestano, Joshua Davis, "Richie Rich", Robert "Freeze" Riggs, RuPaul, and "Walt Paper". After spending approximately seventeen years behind bars, Alig was paroled on May 5, 2014, but what the notorious murderer did in the six years between his release from prison and his death remains a subject of interest. I opened the room and started towards the other bedroom at which point Michael Alig was yelling, "Help me!" In 2003, the movie Party Monster took a no-holds-barred look at New York City's club culture and its seedy, drug-fueled underbelly. As Alig's popularity in the club scene grew, so did his drug use. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Legendary NYC nightlife director recalls notorious 90s club kid era, Novelists late son charged in babys drug death was involved in notorious 1996 Club Kid murder, Club Kid Killer busted for drug possession, Party Monster: Painting in prison kept me from killing myself. Michael told me he probably wasnt going to make it through the year. Outrage! 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. 2019 in New York City Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images. But he continued to battle his seemingly ever-present demons, getting busted for possession of crystal meth near Yankee Stadium in 2017. Shortly thereafter, he moved into Alig's Riverbank West apartment. As such, the whole story seemed like something he might have made up to raise a few more eyebrows. A source later told Page Six that Alig, who once served time for a murder conviction, knew he would die by the end of 2020. However, Robert Riggs ultimately confessed and revealed Alig's role in the crime. While Melendez was unconscious, Riggs went to the other room; when he returned, he noticed a broken syringe on the floor. 51,653, This story has been shared 45,190 times. Alig's ex "was there and saw him . Convicted killer Michael Alig has died at the age of 54, E! And everyone was kind of morphing into each other and melding into each other like goop. "[15] He was moved to Elmira Correctional Facility that year. Privacy Notice Once inside the joint, Alig said, he was hooked. The infamous promoters cause of death was acute intoxication by fentanyl, acetylfentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in New York City confirmed to Page Six on Monday. Alig himself has noted that because the name of the game was disaffection, the verbal abuse could be rather extreme. It's believed that he died of a heroin overdose on December 24. I didnt know it was for him.. While the fact that the scene kept silent about a man who freely talked about killing someone might seem unbelievable, it's worth noting that Alig's tendency to shock and provoke knew very few bounds. The pair's power dynamic heavily involved drugs.
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