Holly Woodlawn, a transgender trailblazer and actress, has passed away at the age of 69 after succumbing to a battle with cancer.
Woodlawn famously became Andy Warhol’s muse, starred in Paul Morrissey’s 1970 movie Trash, and also inspired an iconic song.
Growing up in Miami, she rose to fame in the early 1970s through her work with Warhol and Morrissey, and Lou Reed took notice.
In his 1972 hit “Walk on the Wild Side,” the singer famously says, “Holly came from Miami, Fla. Hitchhiked her way across the USA.”
“Plucked her eyebrows on the way. Shaved her legs and then he was a she. She says, ‘Hey, babe, take a walk on the wild side.”
In 1992, she published her memoir, A Low Life in High Heels and saw a career revival in the ’90s thanks to several independent films.
More recently, she appeared as Vivian on Season 1 of Transparent.
Holly’s friend and co-star, Joe Dallesandro, confirmed her passing.
“I arrived to the hospice and went to Holly’s room, #403,” he wrote.
“I was next to her talking and telling her all the love that was being sent her way from everyone. It was like she knew I was there.”
“I am sorry to say at 3:06 p.m., Holly Woodlawn passed away.”
Woodlawn was remembered at Sunday’s The Trevor Project’s TrevorLIVE event in Los Angeles by NCIS actress Pauley Perrette.
“Pauley went off script [during he presenting duties] to honor Holly Woodlawn,” an attendee said of the CBS crime drama star.
“She said she was informed about her passing in the car on the way over to the event. She got teary eyed and was clearly emotional.”