Edith Minturn Sedgwick was born on April 20th, in 1943, in Santa
Barbara, California, to a very wealthy family. Their wealth
increased even more when oil was found on their ranch. Despite
having any thing money could buy, it did not buy her happiness or
love. Edie endured a tragic childhood, with her two brothers
passing away young, one by suicide, and another, a drug addict in
a motorcycle wreck. A beautiful girl coming of age, Edie was also
a victim of child abuse. Yet as happens too often, when she tried
to speak out against it, her family called her insane, and threw
her, like one of her brothers, in an insane asylum. Contrary to
false media reports that blamed the young woman, calling her
crazy, Edie was a victim of psychiatrists, paid for by big money
to try and invalidate her rape and abuse. She suffered by
electric shocks to her brain, destructive pills by doctors, and
her will and weight withered away. A street drug addict and
psychiatric victim, she also became bulimic, and spent much of
her young life in and out of rehabs, mental wards, and even a
short stint in jail due to her drug habits.
But while a part of Edith's world was hell, due to never having
the love, emotional support, and stability of enough sane,
healthy people around her, she burned through life like a legend
before her time, making pop culture history with seemingly every
move and blink of those famous long lashes and those amazing
eyes. Hitting NYC at 21, she hooked up with the man who would
become one of the most famous artists in the world, Andy Warhol.
Andy had found his muse, Edie Sedgwick was christened a
'superstar,' and was the darling of the so called 'factory
scene.' Warhol Manager Paul Morrissey refuted a so called factory
scene, yet we can be sure at least, a scene existed at this time
somewhere, and Warhol's crowd was certainly a major, happening
part of it.
The wild 'poor little rich girl,' as Andy called her, became a
muse not only to Warhol, but to some of the biggest and coolest
artists of her time. Edie Sedgwick, while an underground
superstar of Andy's films, mostly directed by Morrissey, was more
recognizable as a model and muse than an actress. Her appearances
were more documentary, simply Edie being Edie, which was more
than enough. Edie put her heart and soul in to every moment, and
every second of her life. Rock legends including Nico, Lou Reed
of The Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and
Bob Dylan have all been inspired by her. Dylan's song 'Just like
a Woman' is believed to have been written about Edie, who he
dated for some time.
Despite false reports otherwise, Edie Sedgwick passed away on
November 16th, 1971, due to a drug over dose. Her influence on
fashion is undeniable, her style always unique, and her beautiful
look, timeless. Edie Sedgwick truly is one of the Top 10 Hottest
Models of all time. Edie longed to be an actress, to belong, and
to be loved. She accomplished all of this and more. While perhaps
not loved by all of the right people who could help save and
protect her, she is, and will forever be remembered and loved for
what she has left us, hard lessons to be learned from her
mistakes, the magic of her image on film, and the power of her
icon that shall never leave us- our superstar.
- Bruce Edwin
The Hollywood Sentinel.com, © 2009