Michael Alig (1966 - 2020)

Born 29 Apr 1966 in South Bend, St. Joseph, Indiana, United States

Died 24 Dec 2020 at age 54 in New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Michael Alig was born 29 Apr 1966, in South Bend, Indiana. His mother was a German immigrant to the United States. His father was an American computer programmer. They divorced when Michael was four years old. Michael also had two brothers. [Note: The names of Michael's parents and siblings have been withheld as they are believed to still be living].

He attended Grissom Middle School and Penn High School where he was a straight A student. During his adolescent and teenage years, Michael claimed he was often the subject of bullying due to his homosexuality.

After graduating in 1984, he applied and was accepted to Fordham University in New York City. He studied architecture for a time but eventually decided to transfer to the Fashion Institute of Technology. It was there that he met the boyfriend of artist Keith Haring who introduced him to New York City nightlife. Michael soon dropped out of school and began working as a bus boy at the nightclub, Danceteriaas. In time, Michael became a prominent member of the Club Kids, a group of young New York City club goers who became a cultural phenomenon during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In March 1996, Michael participated in the killing of fellow Club Kid Andre Angel Melendez, during a confrontation over a drug debt. According to Rolling Stone, Michael dismembered Melendez's body and threw it into the Hudson River. In October 1997, Michael pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentences to 10 to 20 years in state prison.

On 5 May 2014, having served more than 16 years of his sentence, Michael was paroled from Mid-State Correctional Facility. He returned to New York City where he granted numerous interviews and expressed a desire to pursue employment in show business or art.

On October 15, 2014, Michael released the pop song What's In (featuring DJ Keoki) through the Austound Music record label. About that same time, he began hosting a YouTube comedy talk show titled The Pee-ew. On 25 Jun 2015, he had his first and only art show event held at three separate art galleries in New York City. Michael also starred in four low-budget films: Vamp Bikers, Vamp Bikers Dos, Vamp Bikers 3, and Duke of New York. During the pandemic, Michael was among the first to launch virtual Zoom parties.

Michael died of an accidental drug overdose at his New York City apartment shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve 2020. He was 54 years old.

Sources

• Obituary: "Newspapers.com"
  The Journal News (White Plains, New York) Mon, Dec 28, 2020, page A2
  Newspapers Clip: 140432838 (accessed 6 February 2024)
• Find A Grave: Memorial #226035300

See also:

• http://twitter.com/alig_aligula
• "United States Public Records, 1970-2009", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KNTZ-VXX : 12 November 2019), Mike Alig, 1993-1998.