d***@comcast.net
2005-11-18 07:20:01 UTC
Gia Carangi
Welsh and Irish ancestry was a top US fashion model of the late 1970s
and early 1980s. A precursor to the Cindy Crawford/Rachel Hunter/Elle
MacPherson "Supermodel" era, she appeared on the covers of several
fashion publications of her time. The fashion magazine covers featuring
Gia include British Vogue April 1, 1979, Vogue Paris April 1979,
American Vogue August 1980, Vogue Paris August 1980, Italian Vogue
January 1981 and several issues of American Cosmopolitan between 1979
and 1982.
Begining
"Gia", as she was known in modelling circles, moved from Philadelphia
to New York City at the age of 18, and quickly rose to prominence,
reaching international fame with such name magazines as Vogue and
others. Gia was the favourite model of many distinguished fashion
photographers including Francesco Scavullo, Arthur Elgort and Chris von
Wangenheim. She posed for photos in many countries world-wide and led a
fast life, thanks to her exotic appearance and lesbian lifestyle. Her
sexual orientation has been disputed: while some think she was
completely lesbian, others point out to the fact she had many
relationships with males and call her bisexual.
Rise
Gia was immediatly swept into the fashion world. She never went through
the tough rejections that other models faced. She was considered a rare
gem in the fashion world. Partly due to supermodel Janice Dickinson's
success, a demand for more ethnic looking models was in. She was
visibly striking, and was a hit with all the photographers.
"There's only been maybe 3 girls in my whole career that have
walked into my studio and I went 'wow'. Gia was the last who came
in here and I said 'wow.'" said top photographer Francesco
Scuvallo. By the end of 1978, Gia had already rocked the fashion the
fashion world at age 18. However, she was extremely lonely and still
looking for stability in her life.
Gia was a regular at Studio 54, and Mudd Club, in which anyone who was
anyone was seen. "We loved it," Janice Dickinson would later recall,
"it was a place for us. A place where we could be with the beautiful,
do drugs, be out of our minds and it all seemed normal." Gia began to
develop a cocaine addiction. Kelly LeBrock, a top model at the time,
remembers the time she spent with Gia. "Gia, when I was working with
her, was still sort of in the beginning, still very fresh and lovely, I
think drowning a little bit in her own success, but not anymore screwed
up than anybody else was in the set."
.In October of 1978, Gia did her first major shoot with top fashion
photographer Chris von Wangenheim. Wangenheim had Gia pose nude behind
a chain link fence, with makeup assistant Sandy Linter. She
automatically fell in love. "She sent flowers to me, and she really
sort of courted me, which I thought was adorable. Eventually I did go
out with her. She's the type of person at that time, and anyone who
knew her at the time can tell you, if she showed up on your doorsteps
and you opened the door and she got in your apartment she was there,
that's it,"
By January of 1980, Gia's surrogate mother and agent, Wilhelmina Cooper
was diagnosed with lung cancer. Gia quickly turned to drugs to escape
the harsh reality. Scuvallo remembers a distinct instance in which Gia
was on a fashion shoot in the Caribbean. "She was crying, she couldn't
find her drugs. I literally had to lay her down on her bed until she
fell asleep." A month after she returned, Wilhelmina passed away at the
age of 40.
To the world, 1980 was a great year for Gia in fashion. She was seen on
covers of Vogue and Cosmpolitan, but behind the scenes she was very
angry and hurt person. She would have violent temper tantrums, walk-out
of photo shoots and even fell asleep in front of the camera. In a 1980
November issue ofVogue, Gia's track marks from heroin can be easily
seen. For three weeks, Gia was signed with Eileen Ford, but was dropped
because she had little tolerance for Gia's behavior.
Fall
In 1981, Gia dropped from the face of the fashion world. She had hopes
of getting her life back together. She enrolled in a 21-day detox
program. It is said at that time, Gia started dating a college student
named Rochelle (her real name was Elyssa Golden - she used an alias
when being interview by Stephen Fried for Thing of Beauty). The Carangi
family and Gia's mother had always suspected that Rochelle had an
abusive heroin problem, and brother Michael Carangi even recalls being
offered some by Rochelle. With Rochelle by her side, Gia's recovery had
failed. In 1981, she moved out of her mother's house and in with some
friends. Once again entering into a detox program.
Her attempt to quit drugs was shattered when news that good friend and
fashion photographer Chris Von Wangenheim had died in a car accident.
It is said that Gia locked herself in a bathroom for hours, shooting
heroin. In the fall of 1981, Gia looked far from the top model she once
was. However, she was still determined to make a comeback into the
fashion industry. She contacted Monique Pillard (who was largely
responsible for Janice Dickinson's career), who was hesitent to sign on
with her. "She was sitting in my chair and I said, 'Gia, I want to
represent you so badly and everything, but I hear a lot of negative
stories about you.' And I remember I asked her 'well, why are you
wearing such a long shirt? Can I see your arms?' And she said
'No!' And she held on to her shirt and she said to me, 'Do you
want to represent me or not?'"
For her second time, Gia received the harsh treatment she skipped last
time. Nobody would book her. Desperate, she turned to good friend
Francesco Scuvallo. She landed a Cosmo cover, a gift from Scuvallo. At
that time, even he knew she had no career left. "It made me very sad,
I had a tough time that day because I really wanted it to be her best
cover and it wasn't; it just couldn't be. No matter how hard I
tried it just couldn't happen. That wonderful spirit she had was
gone, " says Scavullo. Many believe that Gia's arms were blaced
behind her back because of all the trackmarks, however Scavullo has
denied the rumors. Shot in winter of 1982, it would be Gia's last
cover.
In West Germany, a budding fashion industry was being created. Although
seen as tacky by the designers from New York, Paris and Milan, the
Germans were willing to pay 10,000 a week to shoot Gia abroad. However,
no one in the states would book her. In the spring of 1983, Gia was
caught with drugs in a shoot in Africa. Her career was over.
Gia moved back in with Rochelle, and after pressures from her family
she entered a drug-rehabilitation program again at Eagleville Hospital.
Another patient, Rob Fay became close to Gia. Although rumors with the
other patients said that Fay was romantically interested with Gia, Fay
denies it as just being a friendship. "She was really the only person I
was real close to at the time."
After six months, Gia was released from the program. She moved back to
Philadelphia, and it seemed as if she was getting her life back on
track. She started taking classes in photography and cinematography.
But, three months later, Gia had vanished once again, and had returned
to Atlantic City, and started shooting heroin again. She left with men
for money and was raped on several occasions. She soon became sick with
pneumonia, and her mother came and checked her into a hospital.
Death
She was diagnosed with AIDS, then a newly-known disease. As her
condition worsened, she was transferred to Philadelphia's Hahnemann
Hospital. Her mother stayed with her day and night, refusing to let
barely anyone see her. By this time, AIDS had took a toll on her body,
her once beautiful face was vanishing. "She wanted to get the hell out
of there," recalled her mother, "but I kept having to tell her, that
even if we made it as far as the elevator, she would be dead. And
that's when I knew. I knew she'd never be able to come home."
On November 18, 1986 at 10 in the morning, 26-year old Gia Carangi
died.
Her funeral was held on November 23 at a small funeral home in
Philadelphia. Gia's mother and father did their best to contact people
in Philadelphia and in New York. Some of Gia's Philadelphia friends
opted not to attend, most because of their anger at Gia's mother, for
not allowing anyone to see her. Nobody from the fashion world attended,
however weeks later, Francesco Scuvallo sent a mass card when he heard
the news. "We were hysterically crying in the studo when we heard." He
recalled, "I loved her. I could cry now, just talking about her."
In April of 1988, Gia's mother, Kathleen, appeared on the morning show
AM Philadelphia, after they aired a segment about AIDS. It was move
that shocked the family. Gia's father, called Rochelle to let her know
about the show. "I had run into him in the casino before that," she
recalled. "He just gave me a big hug and a kiss and he started crying.
He knew Kathleen. He knew she'd do anything to get on TV. She wanted to
be the model, the superstar. Now she was doing it through Gia's death."
Legacy
In 1986, Cindy Crawford was brought to New York by Monique Pillard. She
was a sensation, but she knew little about the people who had paved the
way for her ethnic looks. Had she had never received the nickname Baby
Gia, Crawford would have had no idea about both Dickinson and Carangi,
who set the way for ethnic looking models. "But [I'm] more wholesome"
Crawford pointed out, "She was wild. Completely opposite me. She'd
leave a booking in the clothes to buy cigarettes and not come back for
hours." After a long pause, Crawford stated, "She's not living
anymore."
A biography was published in 1993 by author Stephen Fried and a
biographical film, Gia, debuted on HBO in 1998 which helped bring her
back to the public's attention. Angelina Jolie played Carangi in the
movie.
In 1996, actress-screenwriter Zoë Tamerlis (a.k.a. Zoë Lund, Bad
Lieutenant), herself a heroin addict who would die of drug-related
causes in 1999, was commissioned to write a screenplay based upon
Carangi's life. This version of Gia was not produced, but after
Tamerlis's death, footage of her discussing Carangi's life was
incorporated into a documentary entitled The Self-Destruction of Gia.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Gia Marie Carangi (January 29, 1960 - November 18, 1986) of Italian,Welsh and Irish ancestry was a top US fashion model of the late 1970s
and early 1980s. A precursor to the Cindy Crawford/Rachel Hunter/Elle
MacPherson "Supermodel" era, she appeared on the covers of several
fashion publications of her time. The fashion magazine covers featuring
Gia include British Vogue April 1, 1979, Vogue Paris April 1979,
American Vogue August 1980, Vogue Paris August 1980, Italian Vogue
January 1981 and several issues of American Cosmopolitan between 1979
and 1982.
Begining
"Gia", as she was known in modelling circles, moved from Philadelphia
to New York City at the age of 18, and quickly rose to prominence,
reaching international fame with such name magazines as Vogue and
others. Gia was the favourite model of many distinguished fashion
photographers including Francesco Scavullo, Arthur Elgort and Chris von
Wangenheim. She posed for photos in many countries world-wide and led a
fast life, thanks to her exotic appearance and lesbian lifestyle. Her
sexual orientation has been disputed: while some think she was
completely lesbian, others point out to the fact she had many
relationships with males and call her bisexual.
Rise
Gia was immediatly swept into the fashion world. She never went through
the tough rejections that other models faced. She was considered a rare
gem in the fashion world. Partly due to supermodel Janice Dickinson's
success, a demand for more ethnic looking models was in. She was
visibly striking, and was a hit with all the photographers.
"There's only been maybe 3 girls in my whole career that have
walked into my studio and I went 'wow'. Gia was the last who came
in here and I said 'wow.'" said top photographer Francesco
Scuvallo. By the end of 1978, Gia had already rocked the fashion the
fashion world at age 18. However, she was extremely lonely and still
looking for stability in her life.
Gia was a regular at Studio 54, and Mudd Club, in which anyone who was
anyone was seen. "We loved it," Janice Dickinson would later recall,
"it was a place for us. A place where we could be with the beautiful,
do drugs, be out of our minds and it all seemed normal." Gia began to
develop a cocaine addiction. Kelly LeBrock, a top model at the time,
remembers the time she spent with Gia. "Gia, when I was working with
her, was still sort of in the beginning, still very fresh and lovely, I
think drowning a little bit in her own success, but not anymore screwed
up than anybody else was in the set."
.In October of 1978, Gia did her first major shoot with top fashion
photographer Chris von Wangenheim. Wangenheim had Gia pose nude behind
a chain link fence, with makeup assistant Sandy Linter. She
automatically fell in love. "She sent flowers to me, and she really
sort of courted me, which I thought was adorable. Eventually I did go
out with her. She's the type of person at that time, and anyone who
knew her at the time can tell you, if she showed up on your doorsteps
and you opened the door and she got in your apartment she was there,
that's it,"
By January of 1980, Gia's surrogate mother and agent, Wilhelmina Cooper
was diagnosed with lung cancer. Gia quickly turned to drugs to escape
the harsh reality. Scuvallo remembers a distinct instance in which Gia
was on a fashion shoot in the Caribbean. "She was crying, she couldn't
find her drugs. I literally had to lay her down on her bed until she
fell asleep." A month after she returned, Wilhelmina passed away at the
age of 40.
To the world, 1980 was a great year for Gia in fashion. She was seen on
covers of Vogue and Cosmpolitan, but behind the scenes she was very
angry and hurt person. She would have violent temper tantrums, walk-out
of photo shoots and even fell asleep in front of the camera. In a 1980
November issue ofVogue, Gia's track marks from heroin can be easily
seen. For three weeks, Gia was signed with Eileen Ford, but was dropped
because she had little tolerance for Gia's behavior.
Fall
In 1981, Gia dropped from the face of the fashion world. She had hopes
of getting her life back together. She enrolled in a 21-day detox
program. It is said at that time, Gia started dating a college student
named Rochelle (her real name was Elyssa Golden - she used an alias
when being interview by Stephen Fried for Thing of Beauty). The Carangi
family and Gia's mother had always suspected that Rochelle had an
abusive heroin problem, and brother Michael Carangi even recalls being
offered some by Rochelle. With Rochelle by her side, Gia's recovery had
failed. In 1981, she moved out of her mother's house and in with some
friends. Once again entering into a detox program.
Her attempt to quit drugs was shattered when news that good friend and
fashion photographer Chris Von Wangenheim had died in a car accident.
It is said that Gia locked herself in a bathroom for hours, shooting
heroin. In the fall of 1981, Gia looked far from the top model she once
was. However, she was still determined to make a comeback into the
fashion industry. She contacted Monique Pillard (who was largely
responsible for Janice Dickinson's career), who was hesitent to sign on
with her. "She was sitting in my chair and I said, 'Gia, I want to
represent you so badly and everything, but I hear a lot of negative
stories about you.' And I remember I asked her 'well, why are you
wearing such a long shirt? Can I see your arms?' And she said
'No!' And she held on to her shirt and she said to me, 'Do you
want to represent me or not?'"
For her second time, Gia received the harsh treatment she skipped last
time. Nobody would book her. Desperate, she turned to good friend
Francesco Scuvallo. She landed a Cosmo cover, a gift from Scuvallo. At
that time, even he knew she had no career left. "It made me very sad,
I had a tough time that day because I really wanted it to be her best
cover and it wasn't; it just couldn't be. No matter how hard I
tried it just couldn't happen. That wonderful spirit she had was
gone, " says Scavullo. Many believe that Gia's arms were blaced
behind her back because of all the trackmarks, however Scavullo has
denied the rumors. Shot in winter of 1982, it would be Gia's last
cover.
In West Germany, a budding fashion industry was being created. Although
seen as tacky by the designers from New York, Paris and Milan, the
Germans were willing to pay 10,000 a week to shoot Gia abroad. However,
no one in the states would book her. In the spring of 1983, Gia was
caught with drugs in a shoot in Africa. Her career was over.
Gia moved back in with Rochelle, and after pressures from her family
she entered a drug-rehabilitation program again at Eagleville Hospital.
Another patient, Rob Fay became close to Gia. Although rumors with the
other patients said that Fay was romantically interested with Gia, Fay
denies it as just being a friendship. "She was really the only person I
was real close to at the time."
After six months, Gia was released from the program. She moved back to
Philadelphia, and it seemed as if she was getting her life back on
track. She started taking classes in photography and cinematography.
But, three months later, Gia had vanished once again, and had returned
to Atlantic City, and started shooting heroin again. She left with men
for money and was raped on several occasions. She soon became sick with
pneumonia, and her mother came and checked her into a hospital.
Death
She was diagnosed with AIDS, then a newly-known disease. As her
condition worsened, she was transferred to Philadelphia's Hahnemann
Hospital. Her mother stayed with her day and night, refusing to let
barely anyone see her. By this time, AIDS had took a toll on her body,
her once beautiful face was vanishing. "She wanted to get the hell out
of there," recalled her mother, "but I kept having to tell her, that
even if we made it as far as the elevator, she would be dead. And
that's when I knew. I knew she'd never be able to come home."
On November 18, 1986 at 10 in the morning, 26-year old Gia Carangi
died.
Her funeral was held on November 23 at a small funeral home in
Philadelphia. Gia's mother and father did their best to contact people
in Philadelphia and in New York. Some of Gia's Philadelphia friends
opted not to attend, most because of their anger at Gia's mother, for
not allowing anyone to see her. Nobody from the fashion world attended,
however weeks later, Francesco Scuvallo sent a mass card when he heard
the news. "We were hysterically crying in the studo when we heard." He
recalled, "I loved her. I could cry now, just talking about her."
In April of 1988, Gia's mother, Kathleen, appeared on the morning show
AM Philadelphia, after they aired a segment about AIDS. It was move
that shocked the family. Gia's father, called Rochelle to let her know
about the show. "I had run into him in the casino before that," she
recalled. "He just gave me a big hug and a kiss and he started crying.
He knew Kathleen. He knew she'd do anything to get on TV. She wanted to
be the model, the superstar. Now she was doing it through Gia's death."
Legacy
In 1986, Cindy Crawford was brought to New York by Monique Pillard. She
was a sensation, but she knew little about the people who had paved the
way for her ethnic looks. Had she had never received the nickname Baby
Gia, Crawford would have had no idea about both Dickinson and Carangi,
who set the way for ethnic looking models. "But [I'm] more wholesome"
Crawford pointed out, "She was wild. Completely opposite me. She'd
leave a booking in the clothes to buy cigarettes and not come back for
hours." After a long pause, Crawford stated, "She's not living
anymore."
A biography was published in 1993 by author Stephen Fried and a
biographical film, Gia, debuted on HBO in 1998 which helped bring her
back to the public's attention. Angelina Jolie played Carangi in the
movie.
In 1996, actress-screenwriter Zoë Tamerlis (a.k.a. Zoë Lund, Bad
Lieutenant), herself a heroin addict who would die of drug-related
causes in 1999, was commissioned to write a screenplay based upon
Carangi's life. This version of Gia was not produced, but after
Tamerlis's death, footage of her discussing Carangi's life was
incorporated into a documentary entitled The Self-Destruction of Gia.
