Jed Johnson (December 30, 1948 – July 17, 1996) was an American

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordi ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

. Initially hired by

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

to sweep floors at

The Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...

, he subsequently moved in with Warhol, and was his boyfriend for twelve years. As a passenger in the first class cabin, he was killed when

TWA Flight 800 Trans World Airlines Flight 800 (TWA800) was a Boeing 747-100 that exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near East Moriches, New York, on July 17, 1996, at about 8:31pm. EDT, 12 minutes after takeoff from John F. Kennedy Internationa ...

came down shortly after takeoff in 1996.

Early life

Johnson and his twin brother Jay were born in

Alexandria, Minnesota Alexandria is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Minnesota, United States. First settled in 1858, it was named after brothers Alexander and William Kinkead from Maryland. The form of the name alludes to Alexandria, Egypt, a center ...

on December 30, 1948. They were two of six children raised in Arizona and then California, where the family moved in search of employment.

Warhol years

In 1967, Johnson and his brother Jay moved from

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

to New York City. They found an apartment in the

East Village, Manhattan The East Village is a neighborhood on the East Side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is roughly defined as the area east of the Bowery and Third Avenue, between 14th Street on the north and Houston Street on the south. The East Village ...

through a heroin addict, got mugged and lost their last $200. Two weeks later, Johnson delivered a telegram to the

Decker building The Decker Building (also the Union Building) is a commercial building located at 33 Union Square West in Manhattan, New York City. The structure was completed in 1892 for the Decker Brothers piano company, and designed by John H. Edelmann. Fro ...

which was being renovated by

Paul Morrissey Paul Morrissey (born February 23, 1938) is an American film director, best known for his association with Andy Warhol. He was also director of the first film in which a transgender actress, Holly Woodlawn, starred as a girlfriend of the main cha ...

before it became the new home of Andy Warhol's Factory. Johnson accepted an on-the-spot job offer to sweep floors, but quickly moved into editing several films including '' L'Amour'' (1973), ''

Andy Warhol's Dracula ''Blood for Dracula'' is a 1974 horror film written and directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Udo Kier, Joe Dallesandro, Maxime McKendry, Stefania Casini, Arno Juerging, and Vittorio de Sica. Upon its initial 1974 release in West Germany and ...

'' (1974), and eventually directing ''

Andy Warhol's Bad ''Andy Warhol's Bad'' is a 1977 comedy film directed by Jed Johnson and starring Carroll Baker, Perry King, and Susan Tyrrell. It was written by Pat Hackett and George Abagnalo, and was the last film produced by Andy Warhol before his death ...

'' (1977). Johnson picked out a townhouse for Warhol on East 66th Street and designed its interiors. He lived there with Warhol for a number of years. In 1982, architect Alan Wanzenberg and Jed opened their own company named Johnson and Wanzenberg and collaborated to create and design the houses of celebrities. Johnson was later a member of the

Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board The Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, Inc. was a private corporation that certified the authenticity of works by the artist, Andy Warhol, from 1995 to early 2012. History The organization was created in 1995 in association with The Andy Warhol ...

, formed the year before his death.

Designer

Among other offshoot projects, Johnson designed the offices of ''

Interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" ...

'' magazine. Through that work, he met Sandra and Peter Brant and worked with them on eleven projects. He built on this career, eventually forming a partnership in both business and life with the architect Alan Wanzenberg, and taking on clients such as

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

. He was named to the ''

Interior Design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordin ...

'' Magazine

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

in 1996.

Death

On July 17, 1996, Johnson was a passenger on

. He was killed along with 229 other passengers and crew members when the plane exploded off the coast of

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

. He was 47.

Bibliography

* Jay Johnson (author), with contributions by Paul Goldberger, Bob Colacello, Pierre Berge, and Sandra Brant. ''Jed Johnson: Opulent Restraint'' (New York: Rizzoli, November 2005).Rizzoli book page
* Alan Wanzenberg. ''Journey: The Life and Times of an American Architect'' (New York: The Pointed Leaf Press, 2013).

References

External links

Jed Johnson Associates
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Jed 1948 births 1996 deaths Accidental deaths in New York (state) American interior designers Film directors from Minnesota LGBT people from Minnesota People from Alexandria, Minnesota Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1996 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States People from Sacramento, California People from the East Village, Manhattan People associated with The Factory American twins LGBT artists from the United States LGBT film directors TWA Flight 800