Visit Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, Home To Legendary Artist Jean Michel Basquiat And NYC's Elite

Legendary Green-Wood Cemetery, located in Brooklyn, is home to many of New York City's most famous figures from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

According to Business Insider, Green-Wood is "one of the largest and most prominent burial grounds in the United States."

While being only one of four United States cemeteries to be considered a National Historic Landmark and having celebrated the sites 175^th Anniversary last year, it is a highly suggested experience to tour the beautiful graveyard.

In August 1988, famous artist Jean Michel Basquiat was found dead at the age of 27 in his East Village apartment due to overdose on heroin. He was an artist who became internationally known for contributing to the Graffiti Movement of the '80s, painting amongst city surfaces throughout Soho and the East Village.

Having become Andy Warhol's protégé and friend, he contributed to the music scene after dropping out of college, and quickly gained a collector following, selling his work up to $100,000.

The New York Times stated, "Regarded by many contemporary art experts as genius, Jean Michel Basquiat was remembered as a man who pursued every aspect of his life with drive and devotion, including those that were destructive."

Many other notable individuals who have been buried at Green-Wood cemetery and who were also successful in creative fields include Architect Richard Upjohn, actress Laura Keene, NY Tribune founder Horace Greeley, Toy store founder F.A.O Schwartz and composer Leonard Bernstein, to name a few.

Built in 1938 and being the largest NYC cemetery covering 478 acres, Green-wood historian Jeff Richman provides visitors with a thorough tour of the gravesite and the stories and lives of the individuals beneath its grounds.