Nelson Sullivan was a visionary videographer who captured the vibrant and diverse life of Downtown Manhattan in the 1980s. His videos, which chronicled various events throughout that decade, are now regarded as a form of pre-Internet vlogging. He was also a beloved friend and mentor to many artists, performers, and celebrities who would later become famous, such as RuPaul, Keith Haring, Lady Bunny, and Michael Alig. However, his life was cut short by a sudden heart attack on July 4, 1989, leaving behind a massive archive of footage that is now preserved and celebrated by his fans and collaborators.
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The Early Life of Nelson Sullivan
Nelson Sullivan was born on March 15, 1948, in Kershaw, South Carolina. He came from a wealthy family that owned a large cotton plantation. He was interested in art and music from an early age, and learned to play the piano and paint. He also developed a fascination with movies and television, especially the glamorous and exotic scenes of New York City.
He attended Davidson College in North Carolina, where he studied film and music. He moved to New York City in 1971, hoping to pursue his artistic dreams. He avoided being drafted to the Vietnam War because he had been injured in a fall into an abandoned gold mine when he was young. He worked as a hairdresser and opened his own salon on Fire Island during the summers. He also enrolled in various film schools and experimented with different styles and techniques.
The Downtown Scene and the Birth of Vlogging
In the early 1980s, Sullivan became immersed in the Downtown scene, which was a vibrant and diverse subculture of artists, musicians, performers, club-goers, drag queens, and celebrities who frequented the nightclubs, galleries, theaters, and streets of Lower Manhattan. He befriended many of the prominent figures of the scene, such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Sylvia Miles, Michael Musto, Susanne Bartsch, Ethyl Eichelberger, John Sex, and Michael Alig. He also met a young RuPaul Charles, who moved in with him at his apartment on 5 Ninth Avenue.
Sullivan began to document his daily life and adventures with his friends using a bulky video camera that he carried everywhere. He recorded everything from parties, performances, art shows, protests, parades, interviews, conversations, trips, and even mundane moments. He developed a unique style of filming that involved turning the camera to face himself and narrating his thoughts and feelings. He also edited his footage in-camera by stopping and starting the recording at strategic points. He created a personal video diary that anticipated the modern phenomenon of vlogging.
Sullivan had a vision of creating his own cable television show that would showcase his videos to a wider audience. He quit his job as a receptionist at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program in June 1989 to focus on his project. He had amassed over 1,800 hours of tape by then.
Nelson Sullivan Cause of Death: A Tragic End
On July 4th 1989 Nelson Sullivan cause of death was heart attack. He had spent the previous night filming at various clubs and events with his friends. He returned home around 5 am and went to bed. A few hours later, he woke up feeling unwell and called his friend Dick Richards for help. Richards rushed over to Sullivan’s apartment but found him unconscious on the floor. He called 911 but it was too late. Sullivan was pronounced dead at St Vincent’s Hospital at the age of 41.
The news of Sullivan’s death shocked and saddened his friends and fans. Many speculated that he had died from AIDS or drugs, but the autopsy revealed that he had suffered from a congenital heart defect that had gone undetected. His funeral was held at St Peter’s Church in Chelsea on July 7th 1989 Nelson Sullivan cause of death was heart attack but he left behind an invaluable legacy for future generations.
The Legacy of Nelson Sullivan
After Sullivan’s death, his friend Dick Richards inherited his video archive and dedicated himself to preserving and promoting it. He collaborated with other friends and admirers of Sullivan to digitize the tapes and edit them into shorter clips that could be shared online. In 2012, Richards donated the archive to the Fales Library & Special Collections at New York University.
Sullivan’s videos have been screened at various festivals, museums, galleries, and events around the world. They have also been uploaded to YouTube under the channel name 5NinthAvenueProject, where they have attracted millions of views and comments from fans old and new.
Sullivan’s videos are not only entertaining and fascinating but also historically significant. They capture a time and place that has been transformed by gentrification, AIDS epidemic ,and cultural shifts. They offer a glimpse into the lives and personalities of some of the most influential and creative people of the 1980s. They also showcase Sullivan’s own talent and charisma as a videographer, storyteller, and friend.
Sullivan’s videos are a priceless legacy that will continue to inspire and educate future generations. He was a pioneer of vlogging and a legend of Downtown. He was Nelson Sullivan.
