A nightclub legend has died. Ex Studio 54 owner Mark Fleischman has passed away by assisted suicide at Dignitas, according to his former business partner. More after the jump.
The 82-year-old nightclub legend – who ran the Manhattan hotspot frequented by names such as Truman Capote, Liza Minnelli, Andy Warhol, Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger between 1980 and 1986 -passed away in the Swiss city of Zurich after an unidentified illness robbed his ability to walk or do other independent tasks.
Daniel Fitzgerald, the co-owner of Los Angeles’ Century Club with Mark in the 90s and 00s told BBC News: “I guess he was in more pain than we knew.” Daniel has arranged for a “living wake” for Mark and wanted him to delay his trip to Switzerland, where assisted dying is permitted by law and the charity – which aids terminally ill people to end their life on their own terms – has been operating since 2002.
He continued: “I thought maybe we could convince him not to [go]. “We had a really nice party for him and a lot of his friends came, and everyone thought, ‘he’s going to postpone it a month and we’ll see what we can do’. But he was set on doing it.”
In June, Mark explained that his illness – which first manifested in 2016 – took away his ability to dress himself and how he needed to rely on his wife, Mimi for everything. He said: “I’m taking the gentle way out. It is the easiest way out for me.”
So terribly sad. Life and its circumstances are so precious and can change in an INSTANT, so please – do what Mark did and LIVE IT UP while you still can! Sending love to his family and those who knew him. Thank you for the fun and the fantasy!
[via towleroad]
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