Candy Darling on Her Deathbed

Hujar made this portrait several weeks before Candy Darling’s death from leukemia at the age of 29. Darling, a transgender actress, is perhaps best known as one of Andy Warhol’s superstars; members of this eclectic social circle appeared in Warhol’s experimental films. Despite being in a hospital bed, Darling wears a full face of makeup and is carefully framed by flowers.

In a note sent to Hujar after the photo shoot, Darling expressed her eagerness for the pictures to appear in Interview magazine because her “fans would feel cheated if they didn’t get to see what I looked like in my hospital bed.” This iconic picture brings together Hujar’s interest in the reclining figure, the specter of death within life, and the juxtaposition of glamour and the harsh realities of the body.