Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol's Factory Filmmaker, Dies at 86

Paul Morrissey, the American filmmaker and key figure in Andy Warhol's Factory, died on October 28, 2024, at age 86. Born in New York in 1938 to Irish-American parents, Morrissey developed a passion for cinema through MoMA screenings. At 22, he moved to the East Village and converted an empty store into the Exit Gallery, a venue for alternative youth and artists. There he met poet and actor Gerald Malanga, who introduced him to Warhol. Morrissey became manager of the Factory and is credited with hiring the Velvet Underground as the house band. Despite his contributions, Warhol often claimed authorship of works Morrissey directed or produced, such as "Lonesome Cowboys" (1968) and the erotic trilogy "Flesh," "Trash," and "Heat" starring Joe Dallesandro. Dallesandro, a sex symbol and muse to Lou Reed (who referenced him in "Walk on the Wild Side"), was Morrissey's frequent collaborator. "Trash" (1970) featured Italian dubbing directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini and Dacia Maraini. After leaving the Factory, Morrissey directed horror B-movies like "Flesh for Frankenstein" (1973) and "Blood for Dracula" (1974). He is remembered as a pioneer of underground cinema who anticipated contemporary social issues.