He was one of the ringleaders of the Club Kids, a group of young New York City clubgoers who became a cultural phenomenon in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

[1] In March 1996, Alig and his roommate, Robert D. "Freeze" Riggs, killed fellow Club Kid Andre "Angel" Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt.

[2] On Christmas Eve, 2020, shortly before midnight, Alig died at his Washington Heights home from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 54.

His mother, a native of Bremerhaven, Germany, moved to the United States after marrying his father, a computer programmer.

Alig's Club Kids included (among others): "Astro Erle", "Ernie Glam", "Gitsie", "Jennytalia", "Superstar DJ Keoki", Amanda Lepore, Charlie "Dash" Prestano, Joshua Davis, "Richie Rich", Robert "Freeze" Riggs, RuPaul, and "Walt Paper".

[12] Alig's notorious "Outlaw Parties", which were thrown in various unconventional places including a McDonalds,[13] a Dunkin' Donuts, abandoned houses, and a subway, helped to revitalize the downtown New York City club scene which Village Voice columnist Michael Musto declared had atrophied after artist Andy Warhol died in 1987.

He reported being diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder, which is characterized by high levels of attention-seeking behavior, stating: "The doctor said I was the most extreme case he'd ever seen.

After The Limelight was closed by federal agents and an investigation found that Gatien was allowing drugs to be sold there, Melendez was fired.

[15] On April 23, 1996, Michael Musto reported rumors of Alig's involvement in Melendez's death via a blind item in his Village Voice column.

Musto had previously reported on Alig's firing from The Limelight and noted the buzz about a missing club person.

[25] Alig fled New York,[28] but was located by police in a motel room rented by his drug dealer boyfriend, Brian, in Toms River, New Jersey.

Shortly after his arrest, Riggs confessed to police: On a Sunday in March of 1996 I was at home ... and Michael Alig and Angel Melendez were loudly arguing ... and getting louder.

[21] Alig disputed these claims, however, and cited the "Drano in the hypodermic needle" as one of the key false dramatizations in Disco Bloodbath and Party Monster.

Prosecutors were hesitant to charge Alig with first-degree murder, as they still hoped he would testify against his former boss, Peter Gatien, who had been arrested for allowing drugs to be sold in his nightclubs.

They eventually offered both Alig and Riggs a plea deal: a sentence of 10 to 20 years if they accepted the lesser charge of manslaughter.

In an interview with his former fellow prisoner, Daniel Genis, Alig said that his time spent reading while in solitary inspired him to write his memoirs, which he titled Aligula, and he particularly identified with the character Raskolnikov from Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.

[14] He was required to abide by an 8:00 p.m. curfew and undergo drug and anger management counseling, and job readiness training.

[38] In the months following his release, Alig granted numerous interviews in which he expressed a desire to star in his own reality show and stage an exhibition of his artwork.

James St James, DJ Keoki, JennyTalia, film director Eric Spade Rivas, Hollywood musician/movie actress Ingrid LaLa, NYC musician/painter Joseph Arthur, NYC nightlife legend Steve Lewis, and many others attended Michael Alig's June 25, 2015 art event.

Michael Alig enlisted his mentor and executive manager from Hollywood, Ingrid LaLa, to create a master contact list, do PR and send MailChimp emails for the Outrage!

On February 2, 2017, Alig was arrested for trespassing and smoking crystal meth in Joyce Kilmer Park in Concourse, outside the Bronx Supreme Court, at approximately 1:30 a.m.

The complaint alleges that "police found a bag of crystal meth and a pipe with residue from the drug in his jacket pocket".

During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Michael Alig and Jason Chaos hosted Zoom party events.

On December 24, 2020, shortly before midnight, Alig was found unconscious by his ex-boyfriend at their Washington Heights, Manhattan, home.

[3] The Office of the Chief Medical examiner in New York City verified in May 2021 that Alig died from acute intoxication from the drugs fentanyl, acetylfentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine.

[citation needed] Books Films Television Alig's case has been featured on the TV series: Theatre