On this date 37 years ago, the world lost its king of pop art.
Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol died suddenly of complications after a routine gallbladder surgery Feb. 22, 1987, in New York. He was 58.
The world knew him as pop artist Andy Warhol. But to his nephew Donald Warhola, 60, of Cranberry, he was simply Uncle Andy.
Reflecting on the upcoming anniversary, Warhola remembered how surreal the events surrounding news of Andy’s death unfolded from a Pittsburgh perspective.
“It was a shock. Uncle Andy didn’t even tell my father he was having surgery,” said Warhola, son of the late John and Margaret Warhola.
According to Warhola, Andy instructed his housekeeping staff not to divulge his upcoming scheduled surgery to his brother John so as not to worry the family.
Andy had weekly phone conversations with John on Sundays, a tradition that endured for 38 years.
Donald Warhola worked in the IT field for his uncle’s business in New York, Andy Warhol Enterprises. Today, he serves as vice president of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and its liaison to The Andy Warhol Museum on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where he also works as a family historian.
In the 1980s, “I was talking to him a lot and working for him then,” Donald said. “With him, you were relevant. We were always a part of the conversation — even though we were kids. I always felt such a closeness to Uncle Andy.”
Warhol receives highest Slovak honor
Warhol is being honored on the anniversary of his death with The Order of the White Double Cross III by Slovak President Zuzana Caputova for outstanding spread of good reputation of Slovakia abroad.
Caputova was scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh to present the award in person Feb. 4, but illness prevented her visit.
“It’s the highest state award that any foreign civilian representative can receive,” Warhola said. “It’s huge because it was very important to Uncle Andy — his heritage. He would be honored. He worked endlessly and had a strong work ethic. He grew up in an environment surrounded by other immigrant workers who lived by the steel mills.”
Andy attended Schenley High School and Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). Upon graduation in 1949, he moved to New York and shortened his name to Warhol.
Warhola will accept the award from the Slovak ambassador to the United States on his uncle’s behalf Thursday at the Warhol Museum, the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single artist.
Warhol Museum director Patrick Moore expressed delight over the posthumous award. “The museum celebrates the origin story of the Warhola family as immigrants to the United States and believes Andy’s heritage is an important aspect of his artistic achievements,” Moore said.
The legacy of Andy Warhol, son of immigrants Julia and Andrew Warhola, permeates the fabric of Pittsburgh, from Andy’s childhood home on Dawson Street in Oakland to a bridge named after him (The Andy Warhol Bridge is the official name of the Seventh Street Bridge) to his much-visited grave at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Bethel Park.
Warhol’s parents were Carpatho-Rusyn immigrants from the village of Mikova in the Carpathian Mountains, in what is modern-day Eastern Slovakia.
In Mikova, a Warhol-themed welcome sign greets visitors. The neighboring town of Medzilaborce is home to the Andy Warhol Museum of Modern Art, established in 1991.
Donald recalled family traditions created by his uncle during visits to New York City. Seeing the hit musical “Pippin” was a particularly endearing memory.
“He always made sure we had tickets to see a show because he knew we were middle-class blue collar — it was a huge treat,” Warhola said. “We got our culture when we went to visit.”
Warhol grew up near the family parish of St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church. John Warhola made the decision to have Andy buried near their parents in the Byzantine Catholic Cemetery.
“Uncle Andy never lost that family orientation,” Warhola said. “It was important to him that he not let that go. I’m so proud of the person that he was while he was here. He taught me a strong work ethic, to love all people regardless and he taught me everyone is unique and special.”
In the 1980s, Andy made a portrait of Donald Warhola, based on his high school yearbook photo. The work is housed in the Warhol Museum and occasionally put on display.
”Andy Can You Hear Us?”
Artist Madelyn Roehrig, 73, originally of Upper St. Clair, was looking for a project while attending graduate school at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
She found it organically after visiting the grave of Warhol. She created a community project she named “Figments: Conversations with Andy” in 2009.
“I had to go talk to him at his grave. I was having an art exhibition and I went over there to have a chat with him. I got ideas so that’s how it started — just for my own conversations,” Roehrig said.
Roehrig began visiting Andy’s grave daily. One day she noticed a Campell’s soup can left there.
Other mementos left by visitors consistently dot the grave, including fresh flowers, a bottle of Coke, numerous Campbell’s soup cans, coins, handwritten notes, bananas and religious objects.
Roehrig went on to photograph the tombstone daily for five years. In 2021, she released the book “Andy, Can You Hear Us?” It’s the first of four volumes chronicling events at the gravesite.
A small plastic container near Warhol’s tombstone invites visitors to pen notes to him.
“Andy, Thanks for helping me through ages 13-19. I couldn’t have done it without you,” wrote one person.
“Andy, You made me see the beauty in simple things,” said a note from an Australian visitor in 2012.
“Andy, Is Heaven very glamorous? Tell God I said hello,” reads one from 2009.
Roehrig has kept all 3,000-plus letters and notes, many of which she said contain heart-wrenching messages, whether it’s someone coming out or dealing with various tragedies in their lives.
Roehrig relies on a friend to collect the notes periodically and mail them to her residence in Beaufort, S.C.
The unwavering interest in Andy’s grave and the enduring nature of those wishing to pay their respects is a comforting feeling for Roehrig.
“Andy is a legacy to so many people — no matter what age — and there’s a peace and communication every time I visit him. Every time I leave I’m inspired. People pour their guts out to Andy in those notes.”
Thousands of people from as far away as China, Australia, Germany, Canada and Japan visit the quiet cemetery. Warhol’s grave is near those of John and Margaret Warhola and parents Andrew and Julia Warhola.
In 2013, a livestream camera project dubbed “Figment” was installed, allowing real-time 24/7 viewing of the grave.
Visitors to the Warhol Museum can view “Figment” on a TV in the lobby. To see it online, click here.
