Candy Darling

Candy Darling
"Candy Darling on her Deathbed" by Peter Hujar
Born	James Lawrence Slattery (1944-11-24)November 24, 1944 Forest Hills, Queens, New York, U.S.
Died	March 21, 1974(1974-03-21) (aged 29) New York, New York, U.S.
Cause of death	Lymphoma
Resting place	Cherry Valley Cemetery, Cherry Valley, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress

Candy Darling (November 24, 1944 – March 21, 1974) was an American transgender actor, best known as a Warhol Superstar. She starred in Andy Warhol's films Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971), and was a muse of the protopunk band The Velvet Underground.

Candy Darling was born James Lawrence Slattery in Forest Hills, Queens, the child of Theresa (née Phelan 1911–2014), a bookkeeper at Manhattan's Jockey Club, and James "Jim" Slattery, who was described as a violent alcoholic.

Darling's birth year is disputed. According to former Warhol associate Bob Colacello, Darling was born in 1946, whereas Jeremiah Newton, her friend, roommate, and posthumous editor, states that she was born on November 24, 1944.

Darling's early years were spent in Massapequa Park, Long Island, where she and her mother had moved after her parents divorced. Her half-brother Warren Law II, from her mother's first marriage to Warren Law I, left home for the U.S. military, leaving Jimmy as the only child. Warren later denied his connection to his half sister.

"Darling" spent much of her childhood watching television and old Hollywood movies, from which she learned to impersonate her favorite actresses, such as Joan Bennett and Kim Novak. In 1961 she signed up for a course at the DeVern School of Cosmetology in Baldwin, on Long Island. She claimed to have "learned about the mysteries of sex from a salesman in a local children's shoe store" and finally revealed an inclination towards cross-dressing when her mother confronted him about local rumors, which described her as dressing as a girl and frequenting a local gay bar called The Hayloft. In response, Jimmy left the room and reappeared in full feminine attire. Her mother later said that, "I knew then... that I couldn't stop Jimmy. Candy was just too beautiful and talented."