Nico Biography

In her prime, model, actress, and singer Nico was an extraordinarily beautiful woman who despite her notorious heroin addiction, exquisitely bored demeanor, and self-destructive tendencies, was a popular cult figure during the late '60s and early '70s when she was involved with the Andy Warhol "superstar" crowd and singing leads (though she couldn't carry a tune) opposite Lou Reed with the Velvet Underground. Born Christa Paffgen in Cologne, she became a French Vogue model in the 1950s. She stood over six feet tall and had an exquisite face. Despite her erratic behavior, she was a bright woman and spoke several languages. In 1960, she made her feature film debut appearing in Fellini's La Dolce Vita. It was later that year that she met Andy Warhol through her friend Bob Dylan. Warhol put her in a few of his avant garde films of which Chelsea Girls is her best-known. Warhol then got her involved with Reed (one of her many illustrious lovers) and his band, the Velvet Underground. Audiences did not seem to mind that she was tone deaf; they liked her deep, flat voice, so perfectly bored with it all. Later in the '70s, Nico returned to Europe to continue performing. A more detailed account of Nico's life can be found in the acclaimed 1995 documentary Nico Icon. - Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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