Renowned for his pop-art movement, Warhol was already the most successful and highest paid commercial illustrative artist in New York before his work even began showing in galleries. However, his more controversial work soon began to attract attention, affording him the opportunity to diversify as an artist.

Warhol soon worked in a variety of mediums, including painting, silkscreening, photography, film and sculpture, as well as managing the underground successes of The Velvet Underground, for whom he designed the famous debut album cover featuring a peel-able banana sticker. The Velvet Underground was just one story of a success bred from beneath Warhol’s influential wing, he also brought attention to major artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Julian Schnabel and Keith Haring, as well as other actors, musicians and personalities.

An attempted murder attempt in 1968 left Warhol shot, and post-recovery he decided to relieve his personal involvement in filmmaking, focussing more on his artworks. He designed cover art for more bands, including The Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers and John Lennon’s Menlove Ave, and influenced a number of other performers, including David Bowie, who would later play Warhol in the 1996 Basquiat film.

He received surgery for recurring gallbladder problems and was reportedly recovering well when an unexpected post-operative irregular heartbeat struck him at 6:32am, killing him before any nurses could help. His funeral was held shortly after, where Warhol was buried in a coffin covered in white roses and asparagus ferns, alongside a copy of Interview magazine, an Interview t-shirt, and a bottle of the Estee Lauder perfume, Beautiful.