"[17] In the tributes in his 1987 book, he was described by actress Alexis Smith as "magical with color" and by Joan Fontaine as "an artist and a talented technician" with "superb taste.
"[17] Miguel Braschi was born to an upper-class family on October 8, 1956, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
[20] In 1976, Braschi and Blanchard moved together into a rent-controlled Sutton Place, Manhattan apartment located at 405 East 54th Street.
[7] After Blanchard's death due to complications related to AIDS in 1986, Braschi began receiving letters from their building owner, Stahl Associates, ordering him to vacate their 54th Street apartment because his name was not listed on the lease, and because, as a gay partner, he was not legally recognized as a member of Blanchard's family.
In its ruling, the court stated that a "more realistic, and certainly equally valid, view of a family includes two adult lifetime partners whose relationship is long term and characterized by an emotional and financial commitment and interdependence.
"[26][27] The decision represented the first time a court in the United States granted any kind of legal recognition to a same-sex couple.
The recognition of Braschi and Blanchard as a family influenced later LGBT rights legal cases in New York and elsewhere in the United States.