> At a Glance
> – Patti Smith says her last memory of Robert Mapplethorpe was a “blessing” that mirrored their first meeting
> – The photographer died at 42 from AIDS in 1989, the first in a “string of losses” for Smith
> – Smith’s new book Bread of Angels released on Mapplethorpe’s birthday and her husband’s death anniversary
> – Why it matters: The story reveals how enduring friendship transcends death through perfect moments of connection
Patti Smith has shared how her final encounter with lifelong friend and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe created a perfect bookend to their decades-long relationship, with his last smile mirroring their very first meeting.
The Final Meeting
During a January 8 episode of the All There Is with Anderson Cooper podcast, Smith described visiting Mapplethorpe in his final days when he was “suffering” from AIDS complications. The photographer, who died at age 42 in 1989, had been experiencing what Smith called “inhuman” suffering.
“I spent a day with him and he was able to calm. He didn’t cough so much,” Smith recalled. “We were alone. And he said, ‘Patti, I’m dying.’ I knew I was never gonna see him again.”
A Circular Journey
The symmetry of their relationship came full circle in Mapplethorpe’s final moments. As Smith prepared to leave, she felt compelled to look at him one last time.
“I went back and he was still sleeping, and I stood there and I swear to you, he opened his eyes and smiled,” she said. “So my first and last image of Robert was that welcoming smile and everything else in between.”
Smith met Mapplethorpe at age 20 when she needed a place to stay and encountered him sleeping on “this little white iron bed” with “shepherd boy curls.” When he sensed her presence, “he opened his eyes and smiled.”
“Our whole life was built on that smile,” she explained.
Unfinished Visions
Smith, now 79, mourns what Mapplethorpe never accomplished. “Robert, he had so much work, so many visions, so much to do, so much capability,” she said. “I feel the pain of incompletion. I could imagine what he would have done.”
Her own “greatest accomplishments” as a writer came in her late 50s and 60s, making his early death feel particularly tragic.
Recent Work
Smith’s latest book, Bread of Angels, was released on November 4 – Mapplethorpe’s birthday and the anniversary of her husband Fred Smith’s death. Mapplethorpe had photographed her for both her 2010 memoir Just Kids and her 1975 album Horses.
“It took a decade to write this book, grappling with the beauty and sorrow of a lifetime,” Smith told News Of Los Angeles at the time. “I’m hoping that people will find something they need.”
Key Takeaways
- Smith and Mapplethorpe’s relationship spanned decades from lovers to lifelong friends
- His death in 1989 marked the beginning of multiple losses Smith would experience
- The perfect symmetry of their first and last moments together provided comfort amid grief
- Smith continues to honor Mapplethorpe’s memory through her creative work
The photographer’s legacy lives on through Smith’s memories and the powerful symmetry of a smile that both began and ended their remarkable journey together.
