Finding Her Soulmate in New York
Patti Smith grew up in New Jersey in a Jehovah’s Witness household before moving to New York in 1967 at the age of 21. There, she slowly started evolving into a poet, songwriter and performer. Those chapters of her life story revolved around her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, whom she met soon after she got to New York. Patti and Robert were basically soul mates – with similar artistic aspirations.
Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot / Redferns / Getty Images
But it was Patti who became famous first. The cover of Horses, the album that made her famous, features the iconic photo of her which was taken by Robert (who also became famous later on for his erotic photos of gay men). Robert then died of AIDS in 1989, which was just one of the tragic losses in her life.