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It was 1965 when Edie Sedgwick left Boston and arrived in Andy Warhol's Factory. Who knew that the pixie muse would make such a mark on the New York City art scene? Sedgwick's poise, charm, and composure were so alluring that actresses and models today still try to emulate her style. Although Warhol surrounded himself with many art stars, none were as famous or memorable as Edie Sedgwick. She quickly became the city's "It Girl."
Despite her reputation, Sedgwick's own work is often undersold. The first film Sedgwick shot with Warhol, Poor Little Rich Girl, for many summed up who she was. When comparisons between herself and Sedgwick were made, Chloë Sevigny said, "Edie was just a rich drug addict." Sedgwick died at the age of 28 from a drug overdose, but her status as an icon even today proves that she achieved a timelessness that celebrities today can only dream of. To take you behind the aura of Warhol's muse, we have decided to compile a list of 25 Things You Didn't Know About Edie Sedgwick.
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Sedgwick's father struggled with mental illness
Sedgwick's father struggled with mental illness.
Edie's father, Frances Minturn Sedgwick, spent his teenage years in and out of psychiatric clinics. He was diagnosed with manic-depressive psychosis and "nervous breakdowns." He originally wanted to become a railroad tycoon, but instead he became an artist, following his doctor's advice.
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Edie's mother almost died while giving birth to her.
Edie's mother almost died while giving birth to her.
When Edie's parents Alice and Frances became engaged, doctors recommended they not have kids (because of Frances' mental illness). They did anyway, producing eight children. When Alice give birth to Edie, the experience was particularly hard. "When Edie was born she nearly died...I have no idea why [my mother] went on having children when it was so dangerous to her," Edie's eldest sister Alice "Saucie" Sedgwick said.
Her development of mental illness at a young age could be attributed to the tension between her parents.
Tension between her parents may have contributed to her development of mental illness at a young age.
Edie's father began having affairs with women after the whole family moved to a ranch in California. "[Edie] would be turmoiling over some useless and absolutely nonsensical detail," Edie's sister Suky Sedgwick said, according to Jean Stein's book Edie: American Girl. "I began to realize that Edie had times when she wasn't totally herself. She couldn't escape from it either. I knew it wasn't her fault, but I didn't know what the hell it was."
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Her father may have molested her.
Her father may have molested her.
Her father tried to sleep with her at the age of seven, according to Edie. She also said one of her brothers tried to seduce her. "Nobody told me that incest was a bad thing or anything, but I just didn't feel turned on by incest," she said.
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She was first introduced to drugs after discovering one of her father's affairs.
She was first introduced to drugs after discovering one of her father's affairs.
Edie saw her father Francis having intercourse with another woman. This made Edie hysterical, but nobody believed her when she tried to tell others what had happened. Her father said she made it up and called a doctor who prescribed tranquillizers for her. This introduced her to the world of drugs.
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She struggled with anorexia and bulimia at 13.
She struggled with anorexia and bulimia at age 13.
She attended the prestigious Katharine Branson School, and her disorders worsened. Edie also discovered that her oldest brother Minty, who was an alcoholic by age 15, had been institutionalized. Teachers discovered her anorexia and bulimia, and she returned home. The experience was traumatic; she was heavily medicated and put on bed-rest.
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She had an abortion.
She had an abortion.
In fall of 1962, Edie was institutionalized at Silver Hill, a mental health facility. She got pregnant from an off-campus encounter with a Harvard student. She had an abortion because of her mental health. "I could get an abortion without any hassle at all, just on the grounds of a psychiatric case," she said. "So it wasn't too good a first experience with lovemaking. I mean, it kind of screwed up my head, for one thing."
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She dealt with devastating family losses.
She dealt with devastating family losses.
Her brother Minty had been going in and out of psychiatric wards. In 1964, the day before his 26th birthday, he hanged himself. Minty had told his father he was a homosexual, and Frances tried to force his son to be heterosexual. Edie's brother Bobby also experienced a nervous breakdown. He would later slam his bike into a New York City bus on New Years Eve of that year.
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She originally just wanted to become a model in New York.
She originally just wanted to become a model in New York.
In 1964, Edie moved to New York after she gained access to her $80,000 trust fund from her maternal grandmother, who she lived with on the East Side of Manhattan when she came to the city. She wanted to become a model, trying out for small jobs within the industry and attending events. To fit with her fantasy lifestyle Edie drove a grey Mercedes, sometimes on acid, until she crashed it. Then she traveled around by limo, living a life of faux success.
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Edie replaced one of Warhol's superstars.
Edie replaced one of Warhol's superstars.
She eventually moved out of her grandmother's place and into an apartment on East 64th Street in Manhattan. She spent a lot of her time partying with Harvard friends. A friend of Warhol suggested that he meet Edie to replace the artist's superstar Baby Jane Holzer who was "running out of speed," John Sedgwick (a relative of Edie's) writes in his book In My Blood. They met in January 1965 and their collaborations began.
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Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick had an odd symbiotic relationship.
Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick had an odd symbiotic relationship.
Edie began spending a lot of time at Warhol's Factory on East 47th Street. She even began styling herself like Andy, cutting her hair into a blonde, boyish crop. Warhol also envied Edie's style. "I think Edie was something Andy would like to have been; he was transposing himself into her à la Pygmalion," said Truman Capote. "Andy Warhol would like to have been Edie Sedgwick. He would like to have been a charming, well-born debutante from Boston. He would like to have been anybody except Andy Warhol."
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Andy Warhol's Film "Vinyl" Launched Sedwick's Career.
Andy Warhol's film Vinyl launched Sedgwick's Career.
Many credit Andy Warhol's experimental short film Vinyl as Edie Sedgwick's launching pad into fame. Sedgwick doesn't have one line of dialogue in the whole film, however people were enchanted by her sense of style. She was added into the film at the last minute.
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Bob Dylan wrote songs about Edie.
Bob Dylan wrote songs about Edie.
Edie became famous, landing a photo shoot with Vogue in which she was referred to as a "youthquaker." She attended exhibit opening with Warhol, which made her even more well-known. Edie and Warhol made 18 films, including one that featured Bob Dylan. Edie and Dylan had a flirtation, and the singer wrote songs about her like Just Like a Woman and Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat.
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She once walked naked on the streets of New York.
She once walked naked on the streets of New York.
She was addicted to drugs just as much as she was addicted to fame. She used speed, cocaine, and heroin very often. "That was the first time I had a shot in each arm," she said. "A shot of cocaine and speed, and a shot of heroin. Stripped off all my clothes, leapt downstairs, and ran out on Park Avenue and two blocks down it before my friends caught me. Naked. Naked as a lima bean."
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She set her apartment on fire with a cigarette while wearing a Betsy Johnson dress.
She set her apartment on fire with a cigarette while wearing a Betsy Johnson dress.
Edie told Warhol in 1966 that she had signed with Bob Dylan's manager in an effort to become a real movie star. Warhol was angry about the decision, seeing it as a move outside of the art world. Warhol, perhaps in retaliation, revealed to her that Dylan was already married. In October 1966, under the influence of cocaine, she fell unconscious. When she woke, her apartment was on fire. It was discovered that the flames came from a dropped cigarette. She was also apparently wearing a Betsy Johnson dress. She once said to a friend, according to Melissa Painter and David Weisman's book Edie: Girl on Fire, "I have an accident about every two years, and one day it won't be an accident."
Edie had a lot of sex in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan.
Edie had a lot of sex in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan.
Edie moved into the Chelsea Hotel and had a relationship with Bob Dylan's friend, musician Bob Neuwirth. "I was like a sex slave to this man," said Edie while filming Ciao Manhattan. "I could make love for 48 hours... without getting tired. But the moment he left me alone, I felt so empty and lost that I would start popping pills."
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Edie had a breast augmentation.
Edie had breast augmentation surgery.
Ciao Manhattan is an experimental film made by David Weisman about Edie's life, which he started shooting in 1967. She had breast augmentation surgery that clashed with the movie's synchronicity. The film addresses it in an exchange. A character says to Edie, "Goddam, your tits sure did get bigger since then," and Edie replies, "Yeah, I eat better now and I do my exercises."
She was arrested for drug possession.
She was arrested for drug possession.
When her relationship with singer Bob Neuwirth ended, she turned to drugs. She was hospitalized and committed to the psychiatric ward of Cottage Hospital after being arrested for drug possession in 1969.
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She married a fellow patient while in a psychiatric institution.
She married a fellow patient while in a psychiatric institution.
While committed to the psychiatric ward of Cottage Hospital, the same hospital she was born in, Edie met fellow patient Michael Post. She fell in love with him. "I've really been to the depths, but now I want to start a new life," she said. After five months at the institution, she married Post in July, 1971.
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She died after being verbally abused at a party.
She died after being verbally abused at a party.
The night of November 15, 1971, Edie attended a fashion show at the Santa Barbara Museum. She naturally attracted cameras and was included in a television program called An American Family. After the filming, she attended a party where a female guest yelled at her and accused her of being a heroin addict. She left and went back home with her husband. Post gave her medication, but the next morning, he woke up to find her dead next to him. An autopsy revealed she died from a barbiturate overdose.
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Her epitaph is not significant.
Her epitaph is not significant.
Sedgwick was buried in the small Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard, California. Her sister Saucie described the area as unfrequented: "No one would go there except to see the veterinarian." Her gravestone is a simple slab of red granite. Her epitaph reads "Edith Sedgwick Post—Wife Of Michael Brett Post 1943–1971". In 1988 her mother Alice was buried next to her.
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The 2006 Film "Factory Girl" Depicts Sedgwick's Life.
The 2006 film Factory Girl depicts Sedgwick's life.
George Hickenlooper directed a film entitled Factory Girl, in which actress Sienna Miller played Sedgwick. Released in December 2006, the movie portrays Andy Warhol (played by Guy Pearce) as a negative person who causes Edie's psychiatric issues. Hayden Christensen plays a character who resembles Bob Dylan, prompting the real singer to file a defamation lawsuit on the claim that the film makes him look responsible for Sedgwick's death.
Edie's Widower Appears in the Film "Factory Girl."
Edie's widower appears in the film Factory Girl.
Kyra Sedgwick is Edie's Cousin.
Kyra Sedgwick is Edie's cousin.
As you probably guessed, actress Kyra Sedgwick is related to Edie. Kyra and her cousin Edie share the ancestral middle name Minturn. “There’s a lot of mental illness in my family,” Kyra said to More Magazine. “Seriously, the Sedgwick side is a whole bunch of crazies. I come by it naturally.”
She wanted to express herself, even if people judged her.
She wanted to express herself, even if people judged her.
"I want to reach people and express myself. You have to put up with the risk of being misunderstood if you are going to try to communicate. You have to put up with people projecting their own ideas, attitudes, misunderstanding you. But it's worth being a public fool if that's all you can be in order to communicate yourself."—Edie Sedwick, Edie: Girl on Fire by Melissa Painter and David Weisman
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