Warhol Superstar Eric Emerson was an American musician, dancer, and actor, born on June 23, 1945. Emerson became famous for his roles in Andy Warhol’s films and as a member of the punk band The Magic Tramps, which played gigs at CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. The band also recorded music alongside Lou Reed for Jackie Curtis’ 1971 play Vain Victory: Vicissitudes of the Damned. In addition to Emerson, the play starred Warhol Superstars Ondine and Candy Darling.
Emerson also trained in classical ballet and performed at Warhol’s “cinema-discotheque” called The Dom. After seeing Emerson dance in 1966, Warhol invited him to The Factory, where he soon became a regular. Emerson debuted his acting career in Warhol’s film Chelsea Girls in 1967, which became one of Warhol’s most successful films.
Emerson had relationships with many people from the Factory crowd, both men and women. He reportedly had at least three children: one with Warhol Superstar Jane Forth, another with vocalist Elda Gentile of The Stilettos (which also included Debbie Harry), and others with various Factory regulars. In July 1969, he agreed to marry Jackie Curtis but stood her up at the altar. Instead, she married a wedding guest. The wedding, which The Village Voice documented, turned out to be a publicity stunt that Curtis had arranged.
Emerson also appeared in several other Warhol films, notably Heat, Lonesome Cowboys, and San Diego Surf. In 1975, at only 29 years old, Emerson’s body was found next to his bicycle in Manhattan. Police officially listed his death as a hit-and-run, but rumors soon circulated that he had actually died of a heroin overdose, and that someone moved his body to stage the scene. Debbie Harry was among the last people to see him, during a recording session for Heart of Glass at Emerson’s apartment:
“The next day we were sitting around the house just after we woke up when Barbara called with the bad news. ‘Oh, Eric got hit by a truck.’ He had been a good friend and inspiration to so many people. We didn’t quite understand what had happened, but we went up to a party/wake held for him and saw a lot of people from the earlier glitter days. Eric’s death definitely marked an end to the glitter period. We still miss him.”
— Debbie Harry, from Making Tracks: The Rise of Blondie (1998)
