Ginger Rogers

The Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in Medford, Oregon is named in her honor. "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Leapord-Skin Pillbox Hat", both songs by Bob Dylan, were purportedly written about Sedgwick. Ginger Rogers died in 1995 and was interred in the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California. The Velvet Underground song Femme Fatale (on the album The Velvet Underground and Nico) is also reported to be about Sedgwick. In 1961, she married her fifth husband, director and producer William Marshall, but separated from him within weeks of their marriage, eventually divorcing him in 1969.
The Cult wrote a song about her life called "Edie (Ciao Baby)" which was on their "Sonic Temple" album released in 1989. In 1953, she married her fourth husband, lawyer Jacques Bergerac (16 years her junior, he became an actor and then a cosmetics company executive); they divorced in 1957 and he soon remarried actress Dorothy Malone. Her death was ruled a suicide/ drug overdose.

In 1943, she married her third husband, Jack Briggs, a Marine; they divorced in 1949. Sedgwick died in November 1971 from barbituate poisoning. In 1934, she married her second husband, actor Lew Ayres (1908–1996); they separated quickly and were divorced in 1941. Shooting resumed on Ciao! Manhattan in 1970 and was completed in 1971. She first married her dancing partner Jack Pepper (real name Edward Jackson Culpepper) on March 29, 1929; they divorced in 1931, having separated soon after the wedding. Electroconvulsive therapy treatments were administered extensively and several efforts at drug rehabilitation were made. This close mother-daughter relationship has been proffered to explain at least in part Rogers's history of marital disappointment. In August 1969, she was admitted to the Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara where she met Mike Post whom she married.

She was a conservative Republican politically, and lived for much of her life with her mother, Lela Owens McMath Rogers (1891–1977), a Christian Scientist who was a newspaper reporter, scriptwriter, movie producer, one of the first women to enlist in the Marine Corps, and a founder of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals. Sedgwick’s rapidly degenrating health saw her return to family in California and spend time in several different psychiatric institutions. In 1940 Ginger Rogers won the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her starring role in Kitty Foyle. After shooting some footage in New York, work on the film was abandoned due to budget and legal problems. In 1939, she played opposite David Niven in Bachelor Mother. In April 1967 Sedgwick began shooting on Ciao! Manhattan an underground movie in which she was to star. Her first roles were in a trio of short films made in 1929 — Night in the Dormitory, A Day of a Man of Affairs, and Campus Sweethearts. The relationship ended in 1967.

She is most remembered as Fred Astaire's romantic interest and dancing partner in a series of ten all-singing all-dancing Hollywood musicals, but her acting career spanned over thirty years. During this relationship she became dependent on heroin and barbituates. Virginia Katherine McMath (July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995), better known as Ginger Rogers, was an American actress and dancer. In 1966, Sedgwick began a tumultuous relationship with Bob Neuwirth. Variants include "Astaire gave her class, and Rogers gave him sex" and "He gave her class, and she gave him sex.". While involved with Dylan, Sedgwick was introduced to LSD. "Fred gave Ginger class, and Ginger gave Fred sex." Katharine Hepburn, actress. Following her departure from Warhol’s circles, Sedgwick began living at Hotel Chelsea where she became involved with Bob Dylan. Dylan’s friends convinced Sedgwick to sign up with Albert Grossman, Dylan's manager.

"Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, and she did it backwards and in high heels." Faith Whittlesey, former US ambassador to Switzerland. Responsibility for this quote also has been traced to a 1982 Frank and Ernest cartoon. The friendship did not last beyond 1966 when Warhol and Sedgwick made an acrimonious public split. During this period the pair would often dress alike and Sedgwick frequently called herself 'Mrs Warhol'. She became Warhol's Girl of the Year during 1965 when she accompanied him everywhere in the New York social scene. It was during this period that Sedgwick began using illegal drugs, particularly amphetamines.

In 1965 she met Andy Warhol and quickly became his favourite 'Warhol superstar', featuring in many of his underground films including Poor Little Rich Girl, Vinyl, Beauty #2, the Chelsea Girls and Diaries, Notes and Sketches. She appeared in TIME, Life and Vogue between 1963 and 1965. In 1964, Sedgwick moved to New York to pursue a career in modelling. As a young woman Sedgwick suffered with clinical depression and anorexia nervosa.

Later in life, Sedgwick claimed to have experienced sexual abuse as a child. She was born in Santa Barbara, California as Edith Sedgwick to a troubled and eccentric establishment family which was seriously blighted by alcoholism and mental illness. Edie Sedgwick (April 20, 1943 - November 15, 1971) is best known as a star of underground films made by artist Andy Warhol in the 1960's. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol.

Andy Warhol. American Girl. Jean Stein: Edie. Jean Stein: Edie an America Biography.

Film Factory. Michael Opray: Andy Warhol. Victor Bockris: Andy Warhol. All Movie Guide (http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll/).

Edie Sedgwick fan site (http://www.rams.demon.co.uk/esmain.htm/). Ciao! Manhattan (1972). Diaries, Notes and Sketches (1970). The Chelsea Girls (1967).

**** aka the Four Star Movie (1965). Outer and Inner Space (1965). Beauty #2 (1965). Poor Little Rich Girl (1965).

Restaurant (1965). Vinyl (1965). Screen Test #2 (1965). Space 1965.