Vance Matthew Buck (February 5, 1961 – July 6, 1992) was an American entrepreneur, best known for his long-term relationship with

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Biography

Vance Buck was born on February 5, 1961, in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. In 1975, he moved to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, where he became immersed in the burgeoning punk rock scene. A talented entrepreneur, he soon became a luminary in New York City's underground nightlife. Buck was introduced to

in 1978 by

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

, after which they became lovers and lifelong friends. By the mid 1980s Buck became disenchanted with life on the road. In 1985, he moved to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, Italy, where he embarked upon a career in fashion. Shortly after moving to Milan, he lived and worked with

Egon von Fürstenberg Egon is a variant of the male given name Eugene. It is most commonly found in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Hungary, Slovakia, Sweden, Denmark, and parts of the Netherlands and Belgium. The name can also be derived from the Ge ...

. After moving back to the United States in 1986 and testing positive for

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

, he quietly lobbied for AIDS awareness and prevention. It was Buck who brought Ryan White to the attention of Elton John. Buck can be seen on the cover of '' Jump Up!'', John's record of 1982. The song " Blue Eyes", from the same record, was written for him. Buck died of complications of

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

on July 6, 1992. Earlier that year, Elton John had dedicated '' The One'' to him, which was emblazoned on the back of the record, with original artwork by Gianni Versace.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buck, Vance Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia 1961 births 1992 deaths AIDS-related deaths in Virginia American expatriates in Italy American LGBT businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American LGBT people