Pioneering trans actress and beloved Andy Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn has passed away at 69. While the exact cause of her death has yet to be verified, during the last several months, Woodlawn’s health was in steep decline.
Newnownext reports:
It’s believed she died at a hospice in West Hollywood.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Miami Beach, Woodlawn eventually came to New York, where she linked up with Andy Warhol and starred in underground classics like Trash and Women in Revolt.
After the era of the Superstars ebbed, she moved back home to Miami for a time, but more recently embarked on a cabaret career in New York and L.A.
In 1991, St.Martin’s Press published A Low Life in High Heels: The Holly Woodlawn Story a memoir by Woodlawn (written with Jeffrey Copeland) that mapped Woodlawn’s journey from young rebel to beloved cult actress and performer.
I had the great fortune of working with Holly Woodlawn on her autobiography. Our journey together began with a screenplay in 1989, which was fished out of a literary agent’s trash can by an intern named Robert Drake, who worked for the agent as an intern. Robert saw Holly’s story as a book, Michael Denneny of St. Martin’s Press thought of the title, and Holly Woodlawn gave me one of the best experiences of my life and career. Thank you for honoring her memory.