Gone too soon.
Still processing this. Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, known to so many of us as @jerrygogosian, was found dead in her hotel room at the Rosewood São Paulo on May 31st. She was 40. The circumstances of her death remain under investigation.
She gave us sharp wit, irreverence, and an insider’s eye on an art world that too often takes itself far too seriously. Her memes circulated like gospel. She said what people only dared to think. And just days before she died, she encouraged us all to «let the rich woman inside fly.»
What many may not have noticed is that in recent months, she had quietly turned to painting, sharing 87 delicate watercolors on her personal Instagram. Mostly flowers. A softer, more private side of a woman the world knew for her sharp edges.
But her passing is a reminder of something we need to keep telling ourselves: we never truly know what someone is carrying behind the version of themselves they choose to show the world. The funniest, the sharpest, the most brilliant voices are not immune to darkness and struggle.
So check in on the people you love. Be a little kinder than necessary. You never know what today looks like for someone else.
Rest, Hilde. 🖤
LoL, Sandra
Photos: © Sandra Bauknecht and via @hildehelphenstein
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