But I also think Peter has mellowed out over the years. And yet, the Gatien story is a real black eye for New York. At the time the murder case was being prosecuted, no one had publicly said Daniel had a role in the killing. You dont see it anymore.. I think the Peter Gatien acquittal still stands out in my mind as one of the most thrilling, says Brafman, who would later win legal battles for P. Diddy and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Theres no legacy to those places and there never will be., Peter was obscure in a Citizen Kane, Jay Gatsby-esque sort of way, says Moby of Gatien in those days. Everybody was dancing, Mr. Gatien said. Peter Gatien's net worth I was the guy in the eye patch.. As one juror, a 62-year-old tractor-trailer driver, later said: These witnesses, they lied so consistently, how could I believe them? Gatien had enlisted as his defender Ben Brafman, the celebrity attorney then-preferred by Gambino mafiosos. But people dont fight on Ecstasy, either, so its not like youre having blood baths like with people drinking too much tequila.. As the investigation widened, undercover agents were soon swarming Limelight, some, he writes in the book, dressed in highly unconvincing drag, or wearing dog collars. Things were compounded by the fact that Gatien himself had developed an epic drug habit, sometimes renting out suites at the Four Seasons for days-long benders. It is said the family have. The collaboration with Limelight owner Peter Gatien debuted with the reopening of the iconic venue in 1998, just months after the nightlife impresario was acquitted on charges of running a drug-dealing empire within his clubs. Gatien came into the crosshairs of both Morgenthau and then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who knew of the drug activity at Gatiens clubs and who saw him as a big fish that needed to be caught as Giuliani tried to clean up New York City. Angel was still trying to bite me and I wrapped a sweatshirt around my hand and I smashed into his face to try to push him down. Fernandez interviewed dozens of people involved with the Melendez case, including Alig and the cops who found Melendezs body. He was born in Cornwall on August 08, 1952. It would not last, however. I was a shepherd of talent. As Gatien strands quietly at the side of the velvet-roped entrance, the fabulous, the ex-fabulous, and the habitual seekers of an open bar parade by: Lady Kier Kirby. I worked the door (Geiger Room VIP) for Peter Gatien in 99. Thats when we got that sinking feeling in our stomach.. Thats whats missing now that raw energy. Grace Jones, partying at the Limelight in 1991. I remember he really did terrorize his stepmother. In 1976, in his early nightclub forays, Gatien spotted . He writes about the night Biggie died, when Funkmaster Flex played Hypnotize before a crowd of 2,000, crying silently. Its to be celebrated. They were going after Gatien as if he were Al Capone., (Gatien was acquitted of drug-racketeering and conspiracy charges in 1998 but was deported to Canada in 2003 after pleading guilty to tax evasion charges.). Rudolph Giuliani squeaked into City Hall as Mayor in 1993 by just 50,000 votes, buoyed thanks to a Staten Island secession referendum on the ballot that year. None of it would have probably happenedif he hadnt lost his eye when he was six-years-old. The media glare blew up the spot. March 25, 2020 In 2007 I received an email from a woman named Jen Gatien. He is 71 years old. Gatien is also involved in a Sacha Jenkins-directed documentary that will focus on the Tunnels place in the pantheon of hip-hop. Peter Gatien (born August 8, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Plaster was peeling off the walls, and dusty mahogany pews were scattered on warped floorboards. With Funkmaster Flex wrangling talent, big names including Dr. Dre, Lil Kim, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Nas and Snoop Dogg all played Sunday night at the Tunnel. Truthfully, yeah. (He paid some club employees in cash.). The world in which Gatien operated was crawling with characters of ill repute. $14.95 per month after 30 days. This all happened right after I said I was going to subpoena the kid, McMahon said. But then, we did have the place to ourselves. Whatever else you may say about Mr. Gatien, who is 68, he never aimed small. I was only in there once I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. So, how was it? Prosecutors went easy on Alig because he initially had agreed to testify against Gatien as the star witness in a drug-racketeering case against the club owner, sources told The Post. Daniels death was the final sad act in a dark life marked by chronic drug abuse and bookended by two tragic drug-related deaths the last one 26 years ago. He is best known as the former owner of several prominent New York City nightclubs, including Club USA, The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel. The club business? The Limelight and Tunnel are long gone. In them, fashion designers found inspiration for their next runway show and record execs found their next big hit. True Legend on the arts and his era and all thes hypocrite mega stars that would indulge in his world and not come to his rescue when he was being victimized Well shame on all of you all. One such character was promoter Michael Alig. Eight years later, Im still fighting for justice, Untold stories from the early years of Second City, the group that changed comedy, Inside the Ontario years of Elon Musk, the worlds most absurd billionaire, I spent five years in a white-power gang: Inside the twisted world of Torontos white supremacist movement. His first business venture was a jeans store in his home town, which he opened with a $13,000 settlement after he lost an eye in a baseball accident. Then, on the eve of their performance, Macho Man hit the airwaves. Today he cringes at the idea, but the big cat roaming under dancers feet presaged his preternatural ability to drum up press and controversy an ability that would make him, but later destroy him. "I live a quiet life here," said Mr. Gatien, 59, in his deep near-monotone, as his two dogs, Che and Xaver, nuzzled his leg, and his wife, Alessandra, a 44-year-old film and television. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images Not to mention all the gadabouts who played and partied at his other joints, from Prince to Axl Rose. Arty outsiders and fashion iconoclasts favoring lip piercings and pancake makeup reframed dance-floor revelry as an art movement of sorts a swirling blend of techno music, Carnival-level costumery and, yes, drugs (particularly Ecstasy). But the loss did provide him with a few things. He continues to be wedded to Alessandra Gatien since July 1994. Turns out she was the daughter of the infamous club impresario who had been deported to his hometown of Canada four years prior. But as Peter and his innovative team ramped up the hedonistic highs, Rudolph Giuliani was leading a major shift in the city. The two have remained close. Most notoriously there was the Limelight, a deconsecrated, gothic-style church on Sixth Avenue at 20th Street in Chelsea (now a SoulCycle knock-off). As Jay-Z once rapped about the eye-patch wearing emperor of clubland: Me and my operation runnin New York night scene with one eye closed like Peter Gatien., Editors picks Peter Gatien went on to become an innovative entrepreneur, working over decades to learn the club business, push the right boundaries, and create an inclusive atmosphere where people could come together and let loose. In the end, they entertain each other., Mr. Gatien found success in his adopted city, but he did not find universal love. It was the days before bottle service, and the Tunnel was also a place for the elites of rap to scale the heights of conspicuous consumption. Alessandra, Gatien's third wife, is his dispositional antithesisan elegant, gregarious film producer fifteen years his junior, outfitted tonight in Paltrow-casual style, with jeans and a black. . Peter Gatien was named the Club King. The ghost of notorious nightlife king Peter Gatien is still haunting the site of his old Limelight club a war has erupted between a new hot . He was once dubbed as the "King of New York Clubs", during his time in New York City. Subscribe; Username; Sign In [Melendez] fell back and there was me and Daniel Auster and Riggs all piled on Angel. Alas, all the stars had since moved on from the Limelight and the club was sputtering. It didnt matter that, by the time it happened, Alig had long since been fired by Gatien. After his arrest, the legal odyssey lasted two and a half years until he was acquitted of all drug charges in 1998. But he. The biggest gut punch of them all came in 2003, when Gatien was deported. Cancel anytime. Soon he split his time between Ontario and South Florida, where he acquired a run-down bar called Rum Bottoms and rechristened it the Limelight. Peter Gatien's income source is mostly from being a successful . Leaning over the massive bar at the center of the room, Sean Combs and Jermaine Dupri used to compete to see who could line up more empty Cristal bottles, Mr. Gatien writes in the book. Grace Jones and Gloria Gaynor rocked the club and he took a chance on a weird act called the Village People, booking them four months in advance. Robin Byrd. Peter Gatien (born August 8, 1952) is a Canadian membership proprietor and get together promoter. Aligs lawyer, the high-profile criminal defense attorney Gerald McMahon, told The Post that Daniel skated at the time because the Alig case was tied up with a bigger investigation of notorious nightclub kingpin Peter Gatien and also because Daniels father was friendly with then-Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau. The club also served as a location for Hal Ashby's film The Slugger's Wife (1985), . His wife is Alessandra Gatien (m. 1994), Adrienne Gatien (m. 1984-1994), Sheila Gatien (m. 1972-1978) Peter Gatien Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. Dubbed the "King of Clubs" when he ruled the scene, Peter Gatien is suing to stop a new version of his 1990s Chelsea hotspot, the Limelight. Little is known about Daniels life as an adult. The pull of heroin is so strong., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Vintage photos show the original influencers NYCs 90s Club Kids, Party Monster: Painting in prison kept me from killing myself, Club Kid killer getting hundreds in free gifts, glassine packets of heroin in the apartment, murdered drug dealer Andre Angel Melendez, Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig, Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture,. If you only read The New York Post from 1996 to 2000, then Im a villain, he said. Opens Sept. 23 at AMC Yonge-Dundas. Today he splits his time between Toronto and New York City, enjoying a home life with his wife, Alessandra, his four children, and his two grandchildren. Meanwhile, you werent a top-tier rapper if you didnt perform at the perpetually packed venue.. May 25, 1999 In the wake of the conviction of former Peter Gatien aide Steven Lewis on drug charges two weeks ago, speculation persists that Gatien continues to be the target of federal. Peter Gatien's income source is mostly from being a successful . Riggs told the judge at his sentencing that, What I am certain is that all of us involved, myself, Michael Alig, Daniel Auster and Angel Melendez, are victims of the same hideous evil, whose name is drugs.. After spending 17 years being shuttled between state penitentiaries, followed by nearly three years. He now lives a quiet life in a three-bedroom apartment in Toronto with his third wife, Alessandra, and has spent the bulk of the last two decades trying to put his life back together. Five things we learned about Peter Gatiens quiet Toronto life, Peter Gatien, Club King Without a Club [New York Times], After my husband tried to kill me, I was forced to flee Kenya. At least, he was the wisest one in the lobby bar of the Bowery Hotel one Saturday afternoon in mid-March. His wife is Alessandra Gatien (m. 1994), Adrienne Gatien (m. 19841994), Sheila Gatien (m. 19721978). Her entourage was always a nightmare She was trouble.. While he has entertained the idea of getting an investment group together and creating a boutique hotel, with the Limelight building as the lobby, he will never return to the nightclub business, he said. Mr. Gatien, too, no longer looks quite so swashbuckling, his razor cheekbones now softer, his eye patch (worn since childhood, after he lost an eye in a baseball game in which a broomstick was being used as a bat) now replaced by dark glasses. Alig died of a heroin overdose on Christmas Eve 2020. The nightclub was a sewer. How the hell would he know what the Limelight was like? When Mr. Gatien first glimpsed the former Church of the Holy Communion in Chelsea, the empty church seemed beyond resurrection. Photo credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Main dance floor with mezzanine slide at Club USA, 1992. 2023. New York magazine contends that soon after Angel's disappearance, Gatien's wife, Alessandra, went to Alig's apartment, removed his remaining belongings, and bolted it shut a scenario that. So, how much is Peter Gatien worth at the age of 69 years old? He wanted to meet me at Bowery Bar, pre-pandemic, to chew over the line items of his formidable career as the preeminent swizzle stick in the cocktail of Manhattan nightlife. We were using crystal meth and we were on ketamine and Rohypnol and cocaine . They brought out the worst in each other, especially when it came to drugs. But the story of their vilified owner is still being written. If everybody is dressed in Armani, its boring. I just thank people like this for shaping the house music gendre. No, this prodigal son has not returned from Canadian exile to whine about the Wall Street invasion of Williamsburg or the death of Dean & Deluca. It was the last of an era.. So, how much is Peter Gatien worth at the age of 70 years old? Ive been approached by Vegas, he said. Portrayed over the years as a genius and a hustler, a megalomaniac and a Sphinx, he is looking forward to the chance to control the narrative for a change. By 2009, he was no longer involved with Circa and has been out of the nightclub business since that time. He is greatest referred to as the previous proprietor of a He pleaded guilty to state tax evasion in. But, according to Gengo, Morgenthaus office in Manhattan took over the case and Gengo and Tomis had to fight to be kept on as investigators. At his height in the 1990s, Gatien commanded a sprawling empire. If you wanted to meet someone iwho mattered in Ny back then, Peter was the only man who would probably know him or her. There was nothing left, save for the $500 in his pocket given to him by his attorney. Gatiens contribution to culture thru his clubs is fantasy, his party people were far to fucked-up 24/7 to contribute anything to anybody I remember one time riding my bike up 6th ave; there was a taxi cab up the side of the wall of Limelight at a 45 deg angle I asked myself, how does this stuff happen? After his Miami Limelight disco burned to the ground in the late '70s, enigmatic club king Peter Gatien set his sights on Atlanta. There still isnt a definitive answer on why Gatien left Circa, the John Street megaclub that he was hired to forge into Torontos answer to Limelight. A thriving downtown press corps had to go out seven nights a week to tell readers the who, what, when, where, and why of cool. You may also like> Piers Nash Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki-Bio, Family Hakan Massoud Navabi Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki-Bio, Family He eventually kicked the stuff, but credit card bills bearing proof of his binges were later aired out in court and didnt exactly help his case. Straight like that. His Queen West rent is a very modest $3,000 per month, paid largely by friends and family. Under the guise of improving New York City's "quality of life," the club scene was targetedand Peter Gatien's empire became a major focus of the administration. For the past three years he has split his time between Toronto and New York, where he lives in Hells Kitchen. Im not justifying it, but the way I looked at it then, I was in an industry where I didnt have time to take 10 days to go off to California to unwind. Peter Gatien. Jurors clearly rejected the testimony of a drug-dealing former club director and five other dealers who pleaded guilty to drug-conspiracy charges and agreed to testify against Mr. Gatien in return for leniency, The Times reported. It reopened from 1998 until Gatien sold it in 2001, to a real estate developer. Ten days after the murder, with the corpse decomposing in the bathtub, Alig chopped up Melendezs body and he and Riggs threw the torso in an Amana TV box into the Hudson River. In HustvedtsWhat I Loved, she writes about the troubled relationship between an artist, Bill Wechsler, and his drug-addict son, Mark, and the sons stepmother, Violet. They took everything from him and also removed him from the country. He shaped nightlife in NYC with clubs that cannot be matched again. Mark had fooled him the way he had fooled us all . He was Facebook before there was a Facebook! Gatien relocated to Toronto, where he opened a 55,000-square-foot (5,100m) entertainment venue, Circa. Smith did not return repeated calls from The Post. He thinks Brooklyn is OK, but isnt interested in getting back in the game. I like being anonymous, Mr. Gatien said. Marks family hires a lawyer for him who used to work in the DAs office, and he is eventually exonerated. Toronto Life is a registered trademark of Toronto Life Publishing Company Limited. From there he became connected with club promoter Peter Gatien, who ran The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel; soon Eichner was hired to photograph celebrities in the clubs and sell those images to . When The Post reached Paul Auster at home and asked about Daniels tragic death and the other allegations in this story, he said no comment and told the reporter not to call him again. If everybody is super-sequins, its boring. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time But, with the exception of marijuana, the drugs were mentally-damaging in the long run (esp LSD) and continued use resulted in the new ages inability to form a stable society as it became vulnerable to (even inadvertently promoting through libertarianism) the rise of fascism under Giuliani, Gatiens arch nemesis Note that, despite the Jewish Left of the revolution, the prosecutors who failed to jail Gatien were all Jewish: a foreshadowing of the Koch Bros implementation of Ayn Randian Neo-nazism as the Tea Party, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc1G1KyI1cc.