British fasion designer Alexander McQueen supposedly took his own life by hanging in his clothes wardrobe (interesting metaphor for a gay man) in 2010. His good mate and mentor Isabella Blow took her own life by poisoing by weedkiller (a very painful death) in 2007.
Watching documentaries on McQueen he was a jovial chap who did not seem bothered by his ‘yobbish’ appearance, indeed he trademarked his career on this persona. Therefore it intrigued me when i heard on the documentary film made on his life titled McQueen, that he had undergone liposuction and a gastric band and lost considerable weight to his body and face. His friend Sebastian, interviewed on the documentary said that when he went to see him after a separation of three years - he was really shocked as the person who opened the door 'was a different person - his ‘body structure was bones’. Sebastian also said that Lee had wanted to shoot himself in front of his audience at his final show. He was stressed and overworked but did not seem the type to want to traumatise others.
So I got to wondering was it the same person? Were there images before and after liposuction that could be compared. And what I found was that the original rotund Lee had rounded hanging earlobes - whilst the svelt Lee had ear lobes directly attached by stretched skin to his cheeks. This was a shocking revelation and despite the pain in my stomach seemed too difficult ot contemplate Ears are very much like finger prints and very difficult to replicate in entirety. And it was not just the ears but to me as an observer his whole persona seemed different.
So the question was why? The documentary seemed to be an exercise in painting the portarit of a man who dipped in the dark side of his psyche for this creativity and then was drowned. t was noted that in 2000 he sold 51% of his company to Gucci so he would have the income to fund his label and his shows. Was he killed off years before 2010 to take advantage of his business. Could they not allow an upstart offsider to succeed? Did Isabella know? Was she murdered for this reason? It was said in the documentary she was planning her death and Lee came to visit yet stayed in his room. Was he hiding from her? It was also inferred that he knew of her plans to die. Could the big hearted Lee really leave his friend alone to contemplate this? He had said they were different ‘entities’ (interesting term to use) but even so.
As for Lee’s death he supposedly hung himself the night before his mother’s funeral and Lee and his dogs were found by the cleaner in the morning - his dogs whining. Lee loved his dogs. It is almost unimaginable even for a person who never met him to conceive that he would kill himself with his dogs left to fend for themselves in the house. And where were his friends and famliy? Surely the night before his mother’s funeral who he adored - someone would be with him.
Lee was a creative genius. Perhaps he became worth more dead then alive. How long could they have come up with new inspirations and talent after he was gone (even if based in the macabre and occult)? His last show was composed of designs from digital prinitng, which from a Saville Row trained atellier seems out of character. Where was the happy go lucky British geezer who had reinvented Givenchy? Perhaps he had been gone years before.