Ronnie Cutrone

He began his career as Pop Artist Andy Warhol's assistant[1] before becoming known for his own paintings of cartoon characters.

He became a go-go dancer and among his first gigs was at the Dom Club on St. Marks Place in Manhattan's East Village.

"[7] Cutrone's paintings are colorful and lively depictions of American cartoon characters such as Felix the Cat, Tweety Bird and Sylvester, Woody Woodpecker, the Pink Panther, and the Smurfs.

[9] 1979, he built a human-sized steel cage that was positioned in the middle of the Mudd Club in TriBeCa.

[3] In December 2013, Hiram Noel Mendez of Cortlandt was charged with second-degree burglary and other offenses for stealing artwork from Cutrone's home.

[17][18] Reportedly, during a visit to Cutrone's home, Mendez found him unresponsive and took some of his artwork before notifying authorities hours later.