[3] Eschewing Vietnam War-era conscription, Rubell joined the New York Army National Guard, returning to the metropolitan area after a tour of duty in a military intelligence unit.

Rubell then decided to start his own business and opened two Steak Loft restaurants,[4] one in New York City, and the other in Mystic, Connecticut.

Rubell and Schrager opened two clubs, one in Boston with John Addison from La Jardin, the other, called The Enchanted Garden, in Queens in 1975, which later became Douglaston Manor.

Police reports state that cash and receipts were in the building and were hidden in the ceiling sections of Rubell's office, where both he and Schrager worked.

The pair hired Roy Cohn to defend them,[6] but on January 18, 1980, they were sentenced to three and a half years in prison and a $20,000 fine each for the tax evasion charge.

A few weeks before his death, Rubell checked into Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City under an assumed name, to seek treatment for severe peptic ulcers, kidney failure, and hepatitis.

[5][10][11] Rubell's private funeral was attended by numerous Studio 54 regulars including Bianca Jagger and Calvin Klein on July 27 at the Riverside Memorial Chapel on Amsterdam Avenue and 76th Street in Manhattan.