Pulse Article

Philadelphia Magazine 100 Years: Thing of Beauty

In honor of our centennial, we look back at some of the stories that shaped Philly Mag

By Christine Speer

Long before Brangelina was on our radar, Angelina Jolie got her big break playing Gia Marie Carangi in a 1998 HBO docudrama. But the tragic life of the tough-talking Philly-born model was first chronicled by Philly Mag writer/editor Stephen Fried a decade before. Having appeared on a bevy of high-profile magazine covers (including this one), Gia was the quintessential local girl-made-good. But in the November 1988 issue, Fried detailed how her mercurial rise to supermodel stardom ended with heroin addiction, then death in 1986 from AIDS. (The piece eventually became a 1993 book.) “Gia thought her story should be a cautionary tale," Fried says. "And it was.”

Click here to read "Thing of Beauty," by Stephen Fried.

Originally published in Philadelphia magazine, March 2008
 

Change text size
Print

Email

Write a comment
 
 

User comments

No users have posted comments on this article.

Post a comment

(* = required field.)
  • Please check to make sure that your referer is not blocked.


Subject line of your comment*
Your comments (200 words max)*
Email*
First name*
Last Name*
Enter the code shown below.
Visual CAPTCHA
This helps prevent automated form submissions.
Philadelphia It List

Philadelphia Magazine Daily

Follow Philadelphia Magazine tweets on twitter.com/phillymag
 
 

Design Home 2009

Explore the two luxurious carriage homes, one modern and one country, that make up Philadelphia magazine's Eighth Annual Design Home.
 
 

Green House

Visit our virtual room-by-room green guide for energy-saving tips and ideas.