Michael Brody has died. He had lung cancer.
We didn't know Michael. Or anything about him. He was likely in his 70s.
News of his death comes from a resident who lives in the same building on East First Street. Michael had lived here for a very long time.
And now the super, via the landlord, is responsible for clearing out his apartment. The super invited the resident inside, to help find some information.
"It is FILLED with artifacts. There are trunks filled with collections of tapes, old cameras, altar-like installations, etc. I found newspaper clippings that the tenant put in a scrapbook, in the 1960s, which were reviews of all the plays he was in. (He was an actor for some period of his life.) There was a folder with a dozen pictures of him and a girl (also looked like 1960s photos).
I also found his diary from 1967 about living in the East Village — totally written in beat style (ie. "Beatles and Brahms and cigarettes in the park and tea and whiskey and Uncle ted.").
The resident has been doing research about Michael, but hasn't turned up much. He walked with a cane, as there are five canes near the front door. The photo at the top is of Michael from the mid 1960s.
While this is a long shot, the resident is hoping to track down anyone who may have known Michael … and may be interested in some of his belongings. (This is not intended to be a public raid on the apartment.)
As Michael spent time as an actor, the resident has already arranged to donate his many suitcases to a theater set designer.
If you knew Michael or have any information about him, then you can contact us via the EV Grieve email
Updated 2:37 p.m.
Someone left this brief obit in the comments. Michael died June 8. He was 70.
