Gia Marie Carangi. The most interesting

Karangi, Gia

Real name
Gia Marie Carangi
Date of Birth
January 29, 1960
Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Date of death
November 18, 1986 (age 26)
Height
173 cm
Breast
86.5 cm
Waist
61 cm
Hips
89 cm
Hair color
chestnut
Eyes
brown
Clothing size
36 (EU)
Shoe size
39 (EU)
Citizenship
USA

Gia Marie Karangi(eng. Gia Marie Carangi; born January 29, 1960, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - died November 18, 1986, ibid.) - American supermodel, considered one of the first supermodels in the world.
Having revolutionized the fashion world, she became not only the first brunette supermodel in the increasingly whitish world of gloss, but also the first woman to die of AIDS. Such a bright and short life.

She was the predecessor of 1990s supermodels Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford. Due to her striking resemblance to Karangi, the latter was often called Baby Gia.

Karangi's images were on the covers of various fashion magazines, for example: American Vogue, April 1979; Paris Vogue, April 1979; American Vogue, August 1980; Paris Vogue, August 1980; Italian Vogue, January 1981; and several Cosmopolitan covers from 1979 to 1983.

This cover is considered the best in the history of Gia's filming.

Gia Carangi was born to an Italian-American father, Joe Carangi, and an American woman with Irish and Welsh roots, Kathleen Carangi. The father owned a small chain of eateries, and the mother raised the girl. When Gia was eleven years old, her mother left the family. In subsequent years, Gia suffered from lack of attention from her parents. At the age of 18, Karangi moved to New York, where she quickly achieved success as a model.

Career

In New York, Gia came under the patronage of former model Wilhelmina Cooper, who owned the Wilhelmina Models modeling agency. Wilhelmina was so amazed to see Gia that she even forgot to sign a contract with her. Gia came to the casting in jeans and a stretched T-shirt, playing with her ever-present knife. For the first three months, Karangi fulfilled small orders, but quickly became one of the most popular models of those years. Arthur Elgort, with whom she worked during a photo shoot for Bloomingdale's, introduced her to eminent photographers Francesco Scavullo, Marco Glaviano and Richard Avedon, which was the beginning of Carangi's brilliant career.

Wilhelmina Cooper

Gia's first photoset (photographer Chris Vaughn Wonehem)

Then the photographer, Chris Von Wonenham, struck by Gia's unusualness, takes a photo of her alone. (Which causes the indignation of other models..)

After the obligatory promotional shots, Chris announces to everyone in the studio that all the previously taken photos are sad shit and invited the models to engage in real art, that is, to get naked. Everyone is refused, except for Gia. These shots behind the fence became the most famous shots of Gia. Makeup artist Cindy Linter also took part in the photo shoot at the photographer’s request. Photos of naked Gia standing behind a fence became one of the most scandalous of those times. By the end of 1978, she had already appeared in several magazines, including American Vogue.

The photographer captured the essence of Gia - her temperament as an elemental beast needed a “fence.” But there was no such fence in her life, no one and nothing became one, and at one wonderful moment, the element of self-destruction burst out, sweeping away everything in its path: youth, health, beauty, fees, career, friends and life itself. But this is still ahead. In the meantime, Gia falls in love with her make-up artist.

With makeup artist Sandy Linter

Gia became famous not only because of her extraordinary appearance (in those days blondes were in demand in the modeling business), but primarily due to her ability to play various roles, be it an innocent Lolita or a vamp.

In 1979, over the course of five months, Gia appeared on the covers of British Vogue, French Vogue, American Vogue and twice on the cover of American Cosmopolitan. The second cover of Cosmo, where Karangi posed in a yellow Greek-style swimsuit, was called the best of Gia’s entire career. Gia's figure was considered very sensual, it contrasted markedly with the shy models of her time. Having become quite famous, Karangi could afford not to agree to those work offers that she did not like. Sometimes she canceled photo shoots just because she didn't like her hairstyle.

Karangi was a regular at the most fashionable clubs in New York, including a frequent visitor to the famous Studio 54, where free morals flourished. Gradually, Gia began to take drugs - first the “soft” drug cocaine for recreation, then, in the spring of 1980, after the death of her mentor Wilhelmina Cooper from lung cancer, Carangi switched to heroin, which helped her forget about her problems. Gia began to be late for filming or not come at all. After two years of a successful career, when Carangi received more than $100,000 a year (in 1980, Cooper expected her to earn over 500 thousand), the model disappeared from the fashion world.

In the spring of 1982, Karangi made an attempt to return to business, changing her agency to two others - Ford and Elite. She worked hard to prove to skeptics that she returned to New York for a reason. In early 1982, Gia posed for the cover of Cosmopolitan. According to the photographer, this should have been her best cover, and it became her last. The model poses with her hands behind her back to hide traces of heroin injections.

Despite all her efforts, she continues to use heroin. And he does it already openly. She falls asleep on set, she injects herself with drugs right in front of the entire crew, she thinks she can get away with anything. In the spring of 1983, Gia was caught with drugs at a photo shoot in North Africa - her modeling career was over.

I don’t know what retouching methods were used then, but during it there was a scandal: all the model’s hands were covered in scars and wounds

Personal life

Despite her popularity and wealth, Gia remained lonely, her personal life did not work out. She had a small circle of friends: makeup artists P. Hockey and Cindy Linter, models Julia Foster, Janice Dickinson and some former Philadelphia acquaintances.

In her personal life, Gia was known for her lesbian inclinations. She herself agreed with this.

From Gia's diary: « Girls have always been a problem for me. I really don't know why they bother me."

"She was the purest lesbian I've ever met, recalls one friend. - Eh that was the clearest thing about her. She sent flowers and poems to girls from the age of fourteen».

« Gia only loved women, says one friend from high school. - But the problem was that everyone fell in love with her, whether it was a man or a woman. Thanks to her charm and beauty, she always got who she wanted.”

Many of her friends believe that the main reason why Gia wanted to become a model was that she thought it would satisfy her mother in a number of ways. Karanji knew that this was her destiny. Everyone thought she knew she could go to New York at any time and make a career there. Gia's mother visited her in New York as often as she could. Sometimes just to put Gia’s house in order. But still, most of the time Gia was alone. She tried to do something outside of modeling, but could not find time for it in her busy schedule. "The biggest mistake we made was not having anyone accompany her to New York," says her brother Michael.

Gia was looking for love and compassion at a time when people were looking for sex, money and drugs. In search of love and permanent relationships, Gia instantly fell in love with people she had just met. She felt incredibly lonely and even asked her brother Michael to go to New York with her. Model Julie Foster recalls in an interview with True Hollywood Stories: “She was looking for someone's love, one day Gia came to my house in the middle of the night, and I let her in, and she only wanted someone to hug her. It was very sad."

Drugs

Photographers began to suspect that Gia's impulsive behavior on film sets was the result of heroin abuse. "We all knew that Gia was on drugs, it was not a secret, but no one discussed it, I never discussed it with her," photographer Francesco Scavulo told ABC. Photographer Michael Tighe says using heroin was illegal. But in Gia's case it was different. She allowed herself to be late for photo shoots, not show up at all, and use heroin in the studio; photographers turned a blind eye to this for the sake of the treasured photograph. In the November 1980 Vogue, you can see how far Gia's addiction to drugs went. The photographs clearly showed marks on the arm from injections. Quote from Stephen Fried's book: "In many photographs in which she was in a swimsuit, red marks were visible on her arms."

Notice how her face and gaze changes. In these latest photos, Gia is half a step away from the abyss. Drug addiction almost completely consumed her.

"I remember when those photos came out, - says the insider, - There was a scandal in the art department". Photos have been edited and retouched to minimize obvious...

“For several months, Gia spent all the money she earned in the modeling business on drugs. Her inclination, at first, did not prevent her from remaining in the center of attention and being the one everyone wanted. In the summer of 1980, Gia graced the covers of Vogue and Cosmopolitan. Behind the scenes were her unpredictable tantrums, strikes in the middle of photo shoots, and sometimes she simply fell asleep in front of the camera.

Karangi was more interested in her daily dose of heroin than in front of the camera. Gia took almost four doses of the drug at the same time and did not listen to any of her friends. Elite agent Monique Pillard told Oprah on her talk show: " I tried to personally monitor her savings many times, but it didn't work out. You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot force him to drink, he must want it himself.».

All that was left of Gia was a shell. There is emptiness in the eyes

In November 1980, Gia left the Wilhelmina agency and signed a contract with Eileen Ford. But Ford did not allow Gia's erratic behavior and after three weeks of work she was demoted. In February 1981, Gia disappeared from the New York fashion world in hopes of getting her personal life in order.

Tired and sick, Gia enrolled in a rehabilitation program at a Philadelphia clinic for alcoholics and drug addicts. That same winter, she begins a relationship with a 20-year-old student who used heroin. They said that the friend was in even more serious condition. “I always suspected Rochelle was on heroin, she even offered it to me, but I said 'it's not for me'. It was a wild relationship for many years,” said Michael Carangi. Under Rochelle's influence, Gia moved further and further from the real world. In the spring of 1981, 21-year-old Gia was arrested for drunk driving. When she stole money from the house to spend on drugs, she was also caught. In June 1981, Gia left her mother's house and again enrolled in a rehabilitation program. But her attempt to recover was interrupted by the news that her close friend, photographer Chris Vaughn Wangenheim, had died in a car accident. For Gia, this became another compelling argument for starting to take drugs. She locked herself in the bathroom and spent many hours in a drug-induced delirium. After years of drug use, Gia developed an ugly abscess on her arm and her back was covered in sores.

At the end of 1981, Gia again began to fight for her life. She began to gain weight. Karangi was committed to recovery and wanted to return to New York. Gia contacted agent Monique Pillard. “She was sitting in my chair, I told her: “Gia, I want to work with you, but I’ve heard a lot of bad stories.” And I remember I asked her, “Okay, why are you wearing such a long shirt? Can I see your hands? And she answered “No!” She held her shirt and said to me, “Do you want to work with me or not?”

Despite all the problems, Monique signed a contract with Gia, who now worked hard to prove to the skeptics that she had returned to New York for a reason. In early 1982, Gia posed for the cover of Cosmo. According to photographer Francesco Scavullo, this should have been her best cover. “No matter how hard I worked, it didn’t happen. Her extraordinary spirit left her. Nothing worked,” says Scavullo. Gia's hands were folded back during filming to hide the marks of injections. Scavullo denies the rumors, saying she sat in that position to hide the extra weight she gained during treatment.

Quite a rare photo. Gia and photographer Francesco Scavullo get out of the car near The Beverly Hills Hotel. The year is 1985, shortly before Gia learns that she has AIDS. A week before, Gia’s latest photo shoot in Vogue magazine, shot by Francesco Scavullo, was released. After her, it became obvious that Gia “died” for the modeling business.

In 1982, Gia starred on ABC's 20/20 Supermodel Stories. She said that she did not use drugs, but her look and voice proved the opposite. She was once offered $10,000 a week to film in Europe, but now no one wanted to work with her. Monique Pillard recalls one incident when Gia was working in a studio in New York. The photographer called him and said: “Come and pick her up or I’ll throw her out of the studio. She fell asleep in front of the camera and burned her chest with a cigarette.” In May of that year, Gia needed surgery on her hand because she had stabbed herself in the same place so many times, leading to an infection.

A still from the video where Gia lies that she overcame drug addiction

Gia moved to Atlantic City, where she shared an apartment with Rochelle. “I didn’t recognize her at first, she had a very unusual voice, unpleasant. It was disgusting,” Karen Karaza said.

« Those years were crazy- recalls Gia’s mother, - I told my ex-husband that he should be prepared for any news, because she was capable of anything. People in this state will do anything for drugs. Theft, even murder. I understood that any day I could receive a letter saying that my daughter was dead.”

One of the sites indicates that this photo is the last in Gia’s career

After pressure from her family, Gia was again enrolled in a rehabilitation program at Eagleville Hospital in Montgomery. Karanji recognized herself as a beggar and lived on benefits. At Eagleville, a patient named Rob Fay became a close friend. " The relationship you start there, you start from scratch, and it's a completely new life. I was really the only person close to her at that time. I remember one day we saw a couple of elderly people holding hands. It really touched her - those people had spent their entire lives together and still loved each other and cared about each other. It was very important for her».

After six months of treatment, Gia left Eagleville Hospital and moved to the suburbs of Philadelphia. She worked as a jeans salesman and cashier at a local department store. She took college courses and even developed an interest in photography and cinema. However, three months later, Gia disappeared again. “She disappeared and no one could find her,” says Rob. “I didn’t see her for three weeks, because usually when someone disappears, it means they’ve taken up their old ways or committed suicide.” And you don’t see them anymore.”

Gia returned to Atlantic City in the summer of 1985. She increased her dose. She slept with men for money to buy drugs and was raped several times. According to some reports, she managed to stop taking drugs for a while. But in 1986, Gia ended up in the hospital with signs of pneumonia. After this, Gia Carangi lived only six months...

Death

In 1986, Gia suddenly fell ill, and her mother immediately took her to the hospital. Gia had pneumonia when she checked in. Further, after examination, she was diagnosed with AIDS. When Gia's condition worsened, she was transferred to a Philadelphia hospital. There, for many months, Gia had what she had dreamed of since childhood - the constant attention of her mother Kathleen. At that time, Kathleen did not allow anyone to enter the room and visit Gia, so many people did not know that Gia was seriously ill. One of the people who was allowed to visit her was Rob Fay: “Kathleen did a great job of making the ward feel like home,” he says. “Gia wanted to film a story in which she would tell children about drugs. So that they know what drugs can lead to. She wanted to say that you can fight this. But for some reason we never recorded it. The last time I saw Gia, she couldn't speak, I knew she was dying." Then Gia's mother finally broke her silence to speak out about her daughter's tragic fate. “I was with her until the end,” Kathleen said. - We sat in the park and talked. We both knew that she had little desire to live. Gia then said: “I overdosed three times - why did God save me then?” In recent days she could not take walks even with a stick. She was in an isolation ward and the nurses were afraid to approach a patient with an incomprehensible and terrible disease. Her mother looked after her. Gia's face was beautiful to the end. She renewed her faith in God. A portrait of Jesus was attached to the door of her room." Within a few weeks, Gia's health rapidly deteriorated. Her body was covered with numerous ulcers that formed as a result of the disease. "Gia turned to me and said her last words: 'I think I'll see HIM tonight.' I say: “No, no, live here. For Mom." But I knew she was leaving me.”

Who would have thought that this beautiful back would be covered with ulcers and fall off from the dead Gia...

On November 18, 1986, 26-year-old Gia Karangi died. As the orderlies moved her body onto a gurney to take it to the morgue, part of her back simply fell off... AIDS had so disfigured her body that the funeral director recommended burying her in a closed coffin.

“A terrible thing. It's still very sad, it will always be very sad. This is a terrible end to such a colorful life." , - said Karaza.

On November 21, 1986, relatives and friends were invited to Gia's funeral service. She was buried in Feasterville, Pennsylvania. The fashion world didn’t even know that Gia Carangi, once famous throughout the planet, had died. Even in her hometown, people did not know the end of her story. Most of Gia's acquaintances only learned a year later that she had died. The funeral was very quiet, since to say that Gia died of AIDS would be a terrible shame for her entire family.

Karen Karaza remembers that day: “ My mother and I went to the funeral, and of course it was a closed casket, and I don't remember there being many people there, hardly anyone was there at all. It's so sad, isn't it? Very sad…".

FROM JIA'S DIARIES:
...There is no place like home. All the walls there are measured in four-mile steps, and you want to highlight the traces with gouache, like in old cartoons. Baby, smile, dry your tears. Sadness does not suit us. Although a lot of things happened in this house - dress stockings were worn, the petals of a daisy were torn off, films were listened to and sounds faded away... Here, for the first time, someone admitted to himself that he was in love with someone. The smell of sausages, tomatoes and rice, marks from a school bag in the closet - the door was scratched by a buckle... Stains from tears on the paper, and ink stains. There are no forces, no swirling gray-green universe. There is only forgiveness, which you receive towards the end... Having paid for the ticket from Mars. Not back...

And only I alone know better what is happening to me now and what awaits me...
.. life and death, energy and peace, if I stopped today,
it was still worth it, and even the terrible mistakes I made that I would correct if I could,
the pain that burned me and left scars in my soul - it was all worth it.
so that they would allow me to go where I was going -
To this hell on earth, to this heaven on earth and back, inside, under, between, through them, in them and above them...

“The world seems to be based on money and sex...
I'm looking for better things than this, like happiness, love
and care"

ABOUT HER:
- She always followed her instincts, no matter where they led her, perhaps this was her best and at the same time worst quality!

Sex... with sex everything was simple, sex was everywhere and they didn’t attach much importance to it. Love... love has always been hard to find! Even if you looked for it, which not many did, and even if you found it, which not many succeeded in doing. Even if she was right under your nose, how could she be noticed among all this sex?

God, she's just a child. I blamed myself, because these are our children. No matter how many problems we have in life, we have a responsibility to take care of our children!

She was like a puppy! “Love me, love me, love me...” and I fell in love with her, I fell in love with her immediately.

Sometimes I think she was not like everyone else! Sometimes I knew who she was, and sometimes I didn't. Everyone who tries to tell you what she really was like - they don't know her at all! I was afraid of drugs, the way they affected people. I told her about it, that is, she knew. I was afraid of many things. But she promised and I believed that it would work, because we both wanted it with all our might. We wanted it, and we succeeded. It worked.

“One night in some club, I don’t remember which one, I saw her. It was her, I recognized her immediately. Among the smoke and noise, she stood with her head down. She didn’t recognize me, but I’m sure it was Gia. She felt very bad, it was visible to the naked eye. She stood motionless, but something in her gaze made people turn around.

Karen Caruso, childhood friend.
In her youth, Gia experimented with alcohol, pills and marijuana - in the 70s this was common among young people. Rebellion was the common road that everyone followed at that time. Gia was a fan of David Bowie and was a supporter of his rebellious worldview. In other Bowie fans, she found the family she had longed for. She went to his concerts and often visited gay clubs in Philadelphia. Gia was a supporter of Bowie and his fans, because according to their theory, being different, bisexual, gay is normal. Gia's sexuality was one of the things she felt strongly about and, in most cases, was proud of. "She was very open about it," says Karen. Gia's mother was confused by her daughter's inclinations. She even took her to psychologists, but nothing helped.

She had an interesting face and a very beautiful figure. Kathleen, confident that a modeling career could have a good impact on her daughter, persuaded Gia to try herself in a new field." Gia behaved very naturally. I didn't have to tell her what to do or how to do it" - says Joe Petrelis, a friend of the Carangi family and the first photographer to photograph Gia. " She knew how to act in front of the camera from the very beginning. She was a wonderful model"

Francesco Scavullo also remembers the first day Gia entered the studio: "In my entire career, there were probably only three girls who walked into the studio and I said, wow! Gia was the last one to walk in and I thought, wow!"

It was believed that Gia has the most beautiful breasts in the fashion world and her photographs did not even require modification in Photoshop. By the end of 1978, she had already appeared in several magazines (including American Vogue) and was earning thousands of dollars. But despite this, Gia was looking for stability in life. Gia was looking for love and commitment while others were looking for sex, money and drugs. In her search for love and a stable relationship, Gia often fell in love with people she barely knew. She felt very lonely and even asked her brother Michael to come live with her.

Based on the biography of the model, a film was made “ JIA"starring Angelina Jolie.

year 1998
Country: USA
tagline: “Too beautiful to die. Too violent to live."
director Michael Christopher
Screenplay by Jay McInerney, Michael Christopher
producer James D. Brubaker, Tina L. Fortenberry, David R. Ginsburg, ...
cinematographer Rodrigo Garcia
composer Terence Blanchard, Billy Idol, David Bowie

After this film, Angelina Jolie's career skyrocketed. Without having any resemblance to Gia (some argued that Julia Roberts is more similar to Carangi), Angie perfectly conveyed the indomitable character of the model, combining the bad girl's cheekiness and the endless vulnerability of a disliked teenager with drama in the family. I expected more from the film. I will say that the biography of the model from Wikipedia struck me much more than the directorial work of M. Christopher. The fate of the heroine is shown too dottedly, the motives of her actions are not revealed, the moment of the first use of heroin is blurred. There is no sense of integrity from the picture. It breaks up into incomprehensible and unrelated episodes. The film, which tells the story of a decade filled with drive, music, buzz, super fees and chic clothes, the director somehow managed to make it leisurely, and in places downright boring. Gia’s biography is conveyed in a blurry way, some facts from life that are important for understanding her motives are lost. Everything is drawn out by Jolie’s sincere and visceral performance.

Full name - Gia Marie Carangi

Gia Carangi was born on January 29, 1960, in Philadelphia, USA.
Her family did not have very good relationships and at the age of 11 Gia stayed with her father because her mother left them. The girl worked in her father’s diner, but she was completely deprived of her parents’ attention and suffered greatly from this.

After some time, Gia Carangi moved to New York, where she began her career in the modeling business. She met a former model who became the owner of a modeling agency and, having become friends with her, came under her protection.

Nevertheless, at the beginning her modeling career was not very brilliant, but then Gia met famous photographers and very quickly became one of the most popular and in demand of that time.

Gia Carangi is one of the first supermodels, the predecessor of such famous supermodels as - and. She was very similar to Cindy, for which Cindy was later called Baby Gia.

Gia Karangi became popular not only because of her excellent appearance. It had other advantages over most models. Gia could easily take on different roles, reflect moods and transform into different images.
In addition, at that time, most models were blondes, and Gia, with her dark hair color, stood out against their background. All this gave her the opportunity to quickly gain popularity and start earning good money.

Of course, her income in comparison with modern supermodels seems meager, but then the time was different and money was much more expensive. Therefore, Gia's income of $100,000 per annum or more was very good. And then even better offers came and Gia could earn $500,000 or more.

True, this was never destined to come true. Wilhelmina Cooper, mentor and owner of a modeling agency, has died. , was very worried about her death. Since childhood, she was deprived of the attention of her parents, and now she has lost her mentor friend.

Gia always wanted love, affection and care, but she received neither love nor care from the people around her. Everyone around only wanted money and sex.

Under the influence of these events, Gia Carangi began to take soft drugs, and then switched to heroin.

This had a bad impact on her modeling career. Gia began to be late for filming and could no longer get into character and take on different images. At times she behaved badly and sometimes even fell asleep during photo shoots. Everyone knew about her drug addiction, but no one wanted to help her quit. Everyone did their job and used Gia as long as she could work. Photographers and magazines only needed photographs from her that brought in money.

Gia Carangi repeatedly tried to quit her addiction, but something always happened that brought her back to her previous state. And then Gia fell ill with pneumonia and ended up in the hospital.

There, after an examination, it turned out that she had AIDS. Gia was in the hospital for several months and there she found what she had wanted since childhood - her mother’s attention. Her mother Kathleen was now constantly with her daughter and protected her, not allowing anyone into her room. Therefore, few people knew that Gia Carangi was seriously ill.

At this time, Gia remembered her faith in God and there was an icon in her room; she wanted to film a story for children, where she would talk about the dangers of drugs. Only the video could not be recorded.

Until her death, Gia Carangi's face was beautiful, but she no longer wanted to live.
On November 18, 1986, Gia died.

Orderlies came to the room to pick up and take the body to the morgue. When Gia was transferred to a gurney, pieces literally fell off her back, AIDS had so badly disfigured her body.

And in the fashion world, they didn’t even know that the famous supermodel had died. Most of her acquaintances from the fashion world learned about Gia's death only a year after her funeral.

Gia Carangi lived only 26 years; she died in 1986, 25 years ago. There was no Internet then, but nevertheless, now there are many sites dedicated to Gia. There is even an official website of the supermodel and many sites with her made in different languages. Most living, successful top models don't have that many websites.

Gia made a huge contribution to the fashion industry and, thanks to her photo shoots, photographs of that time began to come to life and brunettes replaced blondes on the covers of glossy magazines. And the life story of Gia Carangi was taken as the basis for the biographical film Gia. This film helped launch Angelina Jolie's film career.

Gia Carangi is one of the first supermodels to conquer the fashion world and the hearts of thousands and thousands of fans. During her short life, the girl managed to taste a lot. The biography of Gia Carangi is a story of a dizzying rise and no less rapid fall, this is camera flashes, glossy covers - and the abyss that always goes hand in hand with drugs.

Childhood and youth

Gia Marie Carangi was born near Philadelphia on January 29, 1960. The girl's mother, Kathleen Carangi, boasted Irish and Welsh blood, and her father, Joe Carangi, had Italian roots. Perhaps it was this mixture of roots that gave Gia refined facial features, memorable at first sight. The father of the future fashion model Gia Karangi owned a small chain of cafes, and her mother stayed at home with the children - Gia and Michael.

Gia's family broke up when the girl was 11 years old: the girl's mother left, leaving the children in the care of their father. The future star was having a hard time with her parents' divorce, suffering from a lack of maternal attention. Perhaps because of this, Gia, as she grew older, began to gravitate toward female society. Friendly at first, relationships with friends gradually grew into something more.

In high school, Gia began to communicate with guys who were fans of. Teenagers imitated the clothing style, behavior and even bisexuality of this rock performer. At that time, Karangi wore baggy clothes and was happy when she was mistaken for a teenage boy. This company constantly visited gay clubs, and Gia herself began to consider herself a lesbian. Having barely celebrated her 17th birthday, Gia Carangi moved to New York and began her journey to the heights of modeling fame.

Model business

In New York, Gia met Wilhelmina Cooper, a former model and owner of her own modeling agency. The aspiring model began to be invited to shoot. At first, orders were small, but soon Gia’s face became recognizable, and the model herself became very popular. And the girl’s amazing ability to transform into any image, be it a fatal beauty or an innocent simpleton, added to the model’s attractiveness in the eyes of employers.

The girl’s career was rapidly growing, famous fashion designers and photographers dreamed of working with the model, and Gia Carangi’s photos adorned numerous magazine covers and advertising brochures. In 1978, the girl was offered to pose naked. Photographer Chris Von Wangenheim foresaw the scandalous fame of these photographs. Gia accepted such a bold proposal, once again proving that she is ready for any images and transformations. The makeup artist for this photo shoot was Cindy Linter.

The pictures were a great success: soon the images of naked Karanja standing near the fence created a lot of noise, exciting the public and turning the development of the modeling business 360 degrees. A year later, in 1979, Gia starred for the covers of British, French and American Vogue, as well as for the American magazine Cosmopolitan. The photographs for Cosmo, where the girl starred in the original yellow swimsuit, would later be called the best photographs of the model.

Having gained fame and popularity, Gia Carangi began to agree exclusively to those shoots that seemed interesting. Moreover, the girl sometimes showed character by refusing photo shoots if she didn’t like the clothes, makeup or hairstyle. Unfortunately, such a bright career of Gia Karangi ended just before it began.

After work, the girl often visited clubs and bars in New York, famous for their free morals and affordable drugs. First, the model tried cocaine, which seemed to her like a mild prank and a way to relax and unwind. Then, in 1980, she switched to heroin. This happened immediately after the death of her friend and mentor Wilhelmina Cooper. The girl wanted to take her mind off grief for a loved one, and heroin helped with this in the best possible way.

However, the easy fun, which at first did not seem dangerous, soon bore bitter fruits: Gia Karangi’s work became more and more difficult, the model began to be late for shooting, or even completely forget about them. Of course, employers did not like this, and they practically stopped concluding contracts with Gia. In 1982, the model tried to return to the fashion world, changing several agencies, but she was unsuccessful. In 1983, the girl was caught using drugs during a shoot, after which her modeling career was completely ruined.

Personal life

Gia Karangi’s personal life, despite the girl’s wealth, beauty and popularity, did not work out. The model's close friends were makeup artist Cindy Linter, as well as colleagues in the modeling business Julia Foster and. According to rumors, these girls were the lovers of Gia, who did not hide her lesbian inclinations.

Perhaps the craving for female society, as well as an attempt to forget in drug intoxication, were the result of a lack of attention from the mother at an early age.

“The biggest mistake we made was not having anyone accompany her to New York,” Gia’s brother Michael later admits in an interview.

And Julia Foster will remember:

“She was looking for someone's love, one day Gia came to my house in the middle of the night and I let her in and all she wanted was someone to hold her. It was very sad."

Drug addiction and AIDS

Gia Karangi's addiction became obvious quite quickly. After several agencies refused to work with the girl, the model quickly went downhill. Gia spent a lot of money to get the next dose, thoughts about drugs drove everything out of her head. The girl retreated further and further from the real world.

Friends and relatives of the model made an attempt to save Gia; the girl even underwent a rehabilitation course in a Philadelphia clinic. It seemed that all was not lost. However, after finishing treatment, Gia again contacted the company that used drugs. The model was arrested for drunk driving, and the girl also stole money from her mother's house to buy a new dose. In 1981, Gia again tried to undergo treatment at a drug treatment clinic, but the news about the death of her friend, photographer Chris Von Wangenheim, unsettled the model and pushed her back into the abyss of drug-induced oblivion.

“Those years were crazy,” Gia’s mother later recalled. - I told my ex-husband that he should be prepared for any news, because she was capable of anything. People in this state will do anything for drugs. Theft, even murder. I understood that any day I could receive a letter saying that my daughter was dead.”

Gia made her last attempt to return to normal life in 1984. Under pressure from her loved ones, the girl spent six months undergoing treatment in a clinic. At this moment, not a dollar was left from the model’s huge fees, and Gia Carangi had to live on state benefits. After leaving the clinic, the girl, at first glance, came to her senses. Gia got a job at a supermarket and even enrolled in college courses. But the willpower of the former model was enough for three months - then Gia disappeared, probably returning to her needle friends.

In 1986, it became known that Gia Carangi was hospitalized. The girl was suspected of having severe pneumonia. By that time, Gia’s skin was completely covered with ulcers and scars, as well as traces of injections. After some time, Karanji was discharged, but a month later the girl was hospitalized again - and again with pneumonia. Then it became clear that we had to look for the causes of the disease. The truth turned out to be terrible: Gia was diagnosed with AIDS. A terrible disease was eating away at Gia Karangi from the inside. After this, the girl lived only six months.

Death

Gia's condition rapidly deteriorated. The bitter truth is that only when she died did the girl find what she had dreamed of all her life - her mother's attention. Kathleen Carangi will be with her daughter to the last, not allowing anyone to look after her. A month before her death, Gia Karangi was transferred to a hospital isolation ward, and on November 18, 1986, the girl died. The death of Gia Karangi was unexpected for many: the former model’s illness and addiction were not advertised through the efforts of her mother.

Gia Karangi's funeral took place three days after the girl's death. Gia was buried in a closed coffin - the disease had so disfigured the girl’s face and body. The funeral service was held in the circle of the closest people: at that time, to admit that Gia Carangi died of AIDS meant to cover her name with shame.

Years after the death of Gia Carangi, a film called “Gia” will be released, telling about the fate of this talented girl, whose life was so absurdly broken. The main role in the film was played by Gia, who admitted that Gia’s biography was too similar to her own. The film frankly shows the relationship between Gia and Linda (a girl created in the image of Gia's makeup artist and friend, Cindy Linter). The picture ends with a quote from the diary of Gia Carangi, which was never published in full:

"Life and death. Energy and peace. If I stopped today, it was still worth it, and even the mistakes that I made and that I would correct if I could, the pain that burned me and left scars in my soul - it was all worth it for me to be allowed to go to where I was going: to this hell on earth, to this heaven on earth...”

Gia Marie Carangi was born in Philadelphia in 1960. In the early 80s she became a legend in the fashion industry. Gia stood at the origins of the modeling business and was one of the first supermodels in the world. During her short career, she managed to star in a huge number of photo shoots. But Gia's fate turned out to be tragic. Her impulsive character and dizzying success played a cruel joke on her - she became a real drug addict...

Gia's father was ethnically Italian, and her mother was of Irish and English descent. The Carangi family had a small business - several eateries in Pennsylvania. When Gia was eleven years old, her parents separated, and the girl was left almost to her own devices. When Gia grew up, she began to earn a living in fast foods.

Even then, among Gia’s inner circle there were rumors about her gay orientation. Men were not interested in her at all, but she was crazy about beautiful girls - she often sent them flowers with poems of her own composition.

In 1978, Gia Maria Carangi comes to New York to sell her damn attractive appearance at a higher price. And she succeeds easily. Gia was immediately accepted into the Wilhelmina Models modeling agency, owned by former model Wilhelmina Cooper. One after another, photographers fell in love with her colorful appearance, and the more, the more famous she became.

At the very beginning of her career, Gia had one unusual photo shoot, which was conducted by Chris von Wangenheim. In the studio, as a decoration, a mesh of steel wire was stretched, the kind that fences are usually made of in America. The photographer invited the models to take several nude photos, but they all retreated. Everyone except Gia. Photos without clothes excited her greatly - it was interesting to see her own too. She posed for Wangenheim with pleasure and complete dedication. These pictures caused a lot of noise back then.

In her first year of working as a model, Gia managed to appear on the cover of American Vogue, as well as English and French. Quite quickly, Karanji felt that she could take the reins into her own hands. She was often capricious, canceled photo sessions, threw hysterics, did not take pictures if the photographer annoyed her, etc. However, for her sensual figure, enormous acting abilities and famous name, clients were ready to endure a lot.

Like many models of the late seventies, Gia loved to visit the hottest places in New York. One of these places is Studio 54, known for its free morals. The entire bohemian crowd was on powder then. They thought that heroin was an indulgence and an indispensable attribute of a fun party, but for many of them it greatly shortened their lives. Gia is no exception.

When Karangi turned twenty, she was already heavily addicted to heroin. This is one of the most insidious drugs that destroys the human psyche, forever depriving him, first of all, of his value system. An extremely powerful feeling of bodily comfort is then replaced by physical pain in the body and unbearable mental suffering in the absence of a dose. In order not to show her addiction, Gia was forced to maintain her condition by injecting herself several times a day.

However, she failed to hide her drug addiction. There were traces of injections on the hands, which the make-up artists carefully disguised. But if it was still possible to somehow sort out the veins, then it was not possible to correct the facial expression characteristic of “heroin addicts”. When Gia became unbearable and inadequate, she had to leave the modeling business. During the two years that she managed to work, she earned good money for those times - half a million dollars.

After a two-year break and an attempt to quit drugs, Gia decides to return to business again. She was only 22 years old at that time. Gia signs contracts with two agencies Elit and Ford at once.

The year was 1982. The fairly rich and famous model again appears on glossy covers, in particular Cosmopolitan. Meanwhile, Karangi does not hide his lesbian inclinations and openly flirts with the female sex, finding girlfriends among his professional environment. There are many publications about her orientation, but the model does not care at all. She didn’t seem to stop injecting herself, and in this state she had no time for such trifles. In the end, Karangi is caught with the powder in North Africa, where she went for another photo shoot. This time her modeling career will end forever.

Years later, the model's brother will say that Gia's family cannot forgive themselves for letting her go to New York alone. Knowing Gia’s eccentric and frivolous character, they assumed the scenario had happened. Despite her fame, the model was very lonely. She had no one to talk to in the house. She asked her brother Michael and her mother to move in with her from Philadelphia, but they only visited her occasionally.

Between 1980 and 1982, Gia made several attempts to get rid of heroin addiction, but without success. After an incident with the police, which involved drugs found on her, Gia had to say goodbye to her profession. She wasn't capable of anything else.

The former supermodel rapidly deteriorated and in 1984 sank to the very bottom. Incredibly, she will again find the strength to fight drug addiction. Gia completed another six-month rehabilitation course, after which she got a simple job as a jeans saleswoman in a store in the suburbs of Philadelphia. However, life did not improve. After a while she breaks down and all the treatment goes down the drain. In 1985, Gia descended to banal prostitution in order to be able to pay for ever-increasing doses. She was beaten and raped. This was far from the same Gia.

In 1986, Karanji became very ill and was hospitalized with pneumonia. During the examination it turned out that she was infected with AIDS. When her mother found out about this, she tried to create the most comfortable conditions for her daughter in the hospital. Despite the terrible diagnosis, Gia said that she finally felt someone’s care, and that this made her incredibly happy.

On November 18 of the same year, Gia will tell her mother that she will meet Jesus in the evening. She died that day. The disease severely disfigured the girl's body. And although her face remained beautiful, they buried her in a closed coffin, because... the body itself literally fell apart. This is how one of the first supermodels passed away sadly and ingloriously.

Gia Marie Carangi is an American model, a brunette among blondes. Bright and beautiful, she strove for fame and forever remained in history... as the first US celebrity to die of AIDS.

She passed away on November 18, 1986. One of the first top US models at that time was only 26 years old. The rapid career very quickly ended in a steep dive, provoked by alcohol, drugs, promiscuous relationships with both men and women, and the then little-studied disease human immunodeficiency virus or AIDS.

Gia Marie Carangi was born on January 29, 1960. Her father, the owner of several eateries, left the family when the girl was a teenager. This was a real blow for the whole family. Later, the model explained her numerous love affairs with this mental trauma.

The bright beauty of young Gia Marie manifested itself very early. At the age of 17, the girl decides to bet on her appearance. She goes to New York to try her luck in the fashion industry. Relatives are supportive. Gia Marie's older brother then called this decision the biggest mistake of their entire family.

The girl very quickly finds a patron in the big city in the person of Wilhelmina Cooper, a famous former model. She goes to work at the Wilhelmina agency. A rapid takeoff begins.

The aspiring model is so photogenic that in just three months she becomes a top figure in the agency. She's in great demand. Success is inspiring and addictive. Already in October 1978, at the age of 18, the girl first appeared on the cover of the British version of Vogue. Then there will be covers in the French Vogue and the American Cosmopolitan. It is worth remembering that in those years blondes ruled the roost in the industry. It is much more difficult for brunettes to break through; only real diamonds can do this.

Money appears. And along with them there are parties, alcohol and drugs. The girl is increasingly disrupting filming at the very last moment. He behaves extremely eccentrically on the court. Gradually, photographers refuse to work with her, since the girl often comes to the shoot in an inadequate state.

In 1981, the 21-year-old model was already a complete heroin addict. Her mother takes her home to later send her to a rehabilitation center for treatment.

In the spring of 1982, Gia Marie made an attempt to return to the world of fashion. She enters into contracts with two agencies at once: Ford and Elite.

According to one of the most famous photographers of that time, Francesco Scavullo, working with the girl became extremely difficult. The model has lost the magnetism that was inherent in her at the very beginning of her career. She refused to open her hands. There were probably traces of injections on them. Although the model claimed that she was done with drugs, during one of the shoots she fell asleep right in front of the camera with a cigarette in her hand and burned her chest.

By the end of 1983, it became clear that the former glory could not be returned. The girl gives up. Her career is over forever.

In 1984, Gia Marie undergoes another course of treatment at a rehabilitation center. Then he tries to improve his life by working as a cashier in a supermarket. Her health is failing her more and more often.

In the fall of 1986, the former supermodel fell ill with signs of serious pneumonia. Her voice became raspy and unpleasant, and her body began to be covered with numerous ulcers. The girl ends up in the hospital, where doctors give her a terrible diagnosis - AIDS. He has a few weeks left to live.

On November 18, 1986, the girl dies in the hospital. When the orderlies move her from the bed to the gurney to take her to the morgue, part of the skin from her back simply falls off. The funeral takes place quietly and unnoticed...

In 1998, Gia will be remembered thanks to the film of the same name about the bright and fast-paced life of the model. The main role in the film was played by the aspiring actress Angelina Jolie.