Tuesday, May 24, 2016

RIP Lorraine Levine


Lorraine Levine, an East Village resident who received attention in recent years for her frank, expletive-filled advice videos, died on Sunday. She was 87. (Previous features on Levine listed her age as 89.)

"She was hilarious and full of life," said Maristella Innocenti, a friend of Levine's. "She never gave up on life, even at her age. She always talked about the future. For me it was an honor to have met her and to have had a chance to be part of her life."

Her neighbor, filmmaker Robert La Force, launched a video series in early 2015 titled "Ask My Neighbor Lorraine," in which she answered questions about how to meet men and offered hangover cures.

She also tried her hand at social media.


A video sampling ... (a little NSFW) ...



The Brooklyn native was married five times, according to an interview with her last year at MTV.com. She was a former antiques dealer.

From an interview last August with DNAinfo: "The accidental comedienne, who grew up in Brighton Beach in a Russian Jewish family of entertainers, thinks of herself as, above all, a 'very cultured, sophisticated lady ... who says fuck often.'"

There is a memorial for Levine Wednesday morning at 11 at Thomas C. Montera, Inc. Funeral Home on Westchester Avenue in the Bronx.

At a later date, Innocenti said that friends and family will get together at Levine's East Fifth Street apartment, where she lived since 1978. "We will have a party in her backyard. That's what she would've loved."

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Omg - she's me!!
In 30 years
Oops: omFg :D

Anonymous said...

This lady has got smarts, New Yawk smahts!

Edmund Dunn said...

Now that's a real New York City lady. Her type is endangered and vanishing.

Anonymous said...

Never knew her, but, damn, that makes me smile. Bet her memorial will be full of love and laughter.

Anonymous said...

I never met Lorraine..she had a gift. RIP
Melanie
East Village Corner

Trish Lowe said...

My beautiful smart loving and amazing Aunt... I will miss you!! #myhero love you to the moon and back!

Cosmo said...

Aw, dang, I saw someone else walking her dog and wondered if something had happened. RIP Lorraine, you will be missed.

Unknown said...

I never met Lorraine but, by the looks of it, she was quite a gal. RIP
I'll search the web for her videos and advise on: "How to meet men"? Lol

Anonymous said...

RIP Doll....

Anonymous said...

She sounds awesome. Wish we would have met. RIP, another amazing soul lost.

Anonymous said...

She's in a better place now, better than the East fucking Village, or fucking East Village of today!

Anonymous said...

RIP loss of 5th Street and her family

Anonymous said...

Dammit! I loved that woman!! Such a wonderful character! Such a loss for us E 5th residents (and the world!!)

Walter said...

where on East 5th Street did she live ?

Anonymous said...

Right by the 9th Precinct

RJS said...

I loved Lorraine's hilarious tweets, and wanted to schmooze with her over coffee. Perhaps, our paths will cross someday, at a Starbucks in the sky.

Anonymous said...

RJS,

Starbucks exist only in Hell.

Anonymous said...

Please let us know what the date would be for the backyard get together. Myself and others on 5th street would like to attend.

The New Employee said...

Lorraine (who went through life as Bubbles) was my Aunt, though our family relationship has not been on the best of terms over the last decade, I still love her. There was actually 5 Levine girls, and to put it mildly Bubs (who was the last surviving sister) was the sane one, literally, one was crazier than the next. She and my Aunts made growing up in our family fun as hell, you learned early to be quick witted, sharp tounged and thick skinned, all lessons we all carried though life today, and to that we all owe a big thanks. Well, now she's with her sisters Blanche, Jerri, Marion (my grand-mother) and Essie driving God to distraction. Good luck ol'man you're gonna need it.

The New Employee said...

I actually missed a sister my Aunt Ginny, please forgive me ;-)

Anonymous said...

I was Lorraine's niece, as a bit of bio I can tell you she was the youngest of nine kids, she grew in Brighton Beach and.was one of the funniest ladies I have ever known. She taught me about life, love, and how not to confuse one with the other. She taught me about men and sex and babies and all the things a girl growing up in Brooklyn needed to know. We were not close in her last years, and of course I regret that now, but I am close enough to her in age to figure we will see each other soon and can rectify that. Until then save a place for me and find the good egg cream place.

Eden Bee said...

I LOVED THIS WOMAN! She is me in about 35 years. Can't believe I won't see her on my block anymore.

Carol from E. 5th Street said...

Oh Lorraine. You will be missed.

Beautiful service. Lots of memories, laughter and tears with family, friends and neighbors. And the "after party" in her backyard. She would have had a great time.

There will be a big void on East 5th Street for a long long time until our memory of Lorraine walking Molly fades, as all memories do. RIP Lorraine.

Nikki Holton said...

Well said Michael.

RJS said...

And in airports, too!

Pea said...

You were loved, so much-- and now, we'll all be laughing, cussing through this life that you gave your spark to, until we're together again.
Thank you, and RIP.

-An East 5th Street irregular