Lou Reed's Walk On The Wildside Muse Has Died; Holly Woodlawn RIP

7 December 2015 | 5:40 pm | Staff Writer

Tragic news.

Pic via Facebook

Pic via Facebook

Actress and transgender icon Holly Woodlawn passed away yesterday after a battle with brain and liver cancer. Woodlawn was 69-years-old. 

Woodlawn, one of the famous 'Warhol superstars', rose to fame in the '70s and is referenced in the first verse of the classic 1972 track, Walk On The Wildside, written and performed by Lou Reed ("Holly came from Miami, FLA...").

The lyrics also tell of Woodlawn's gender transition ("Plucked her eyebrows on the way, shaved her legs, and then he was a she").

Woodlawn appeared in iconic Warhol films Trash (1970) and Women In Revolt (1971). She also appeared in cult queer cinema favourite Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss (1998) and the award-winning TV series Transparent.

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For the better half of the last decade, Woodlawn performed in sold out cabaret shows throughout New York and LA, until she fell seriously ill in June of this year.