Jed Johnson (designer)

Jed Johnson (December 30, 1948 – July 17, 1996) was an American interior designer and film director.

Initially hired by Andy Warhol to sweep floors at The Factory, he subsequently moved in with Warhol, and was his boyfriend for twelve years.

Johnson and his twin brother Jay were born in Alexandria, Minnesota on December 30, 1948.

They were two of six children raised in Arizona and then California, where the family moved in search of employment.

Johnson picked out a townhouse for Warhol on East 66th Street and designed its interiors.

He lived there with Warhol for a number of years.

In 1967, Johnson and his brother Jay moved from Sacramento, California to New York City.

They found an apartment in the East Village, Manhattan through a heroin addict, got mugged and lost their last $200.

Two weeks later, Johnson delivered a telegram to the Decker building which was being renovated by Paul Morrissey before it became the new home of Andy Warhol's Factory.

Johnson accepted an on-the-spot job offer to sweep floors, but quickly moved into editing several films including L'Amour (1973), Andy Warhol's Dracula (1974), and eventually directing Andy Warhol's Bad (1977).

In 1982, architect Alan Wanzenberg and Jed opened their own company named Johnson and Wanzenberg and collaborated to create and design the houses of celebrities.

Johnson was later a member of the Andy Warhol Art Authentication Board, formed the year before his death.

Among other offshoot projects, Johnson designed the offices of Interview magazine.

Through that work, he met Sandra and Peter Brant and worked with them on eleven projects.

He built on this career, eventually forming a partnership in both business and life with the architect Alan Wanzenberg, and taking on clients such as Mick Jagger and Richard Gere.

As a passenger in the first class cabin, he was killed when TWA Flight 800 came down shortly after takeoff in 1996.

He was named to the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame in 1996.

On July 17, 1996, Johnson was a passenger on TWA Flight 800.

He was killed along with 229 other passengers and crew members when the plane exploded off the coast of Long Island, New York.

He was 47.