Christa Päffgen (October 16, 1938 - July 18, 1988), better known as Nico, was a 1960s model, adopted as a protegée by Andy Warhol, and an occasional singer in the Velvet Underground. She would also occasionally appear in movies, most notably in a cameo appearance as herself in Federico Fellini's Dolce Vita (1960).
She was born in Cologne, Germany.
After being ousted from Velvet Underground, she had a occasional career as a singer, recording a number of critically acclaimed but poorly selling albums, including June 1, 1974 with John Cale and Kevin Ayers, The End and - possibly most influential - The Marble Index.
A lifetime abuser of heroin, Nico died of a brain haemorrhage following a fall from a bicycle during a withdrawal treatment on Ibiza in 1988.
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