Mourning the ‘Man in White’ on the Lower East Side
Orchard Street won’t be the same.
There has been an outpouring of grief in the week since Jimmy “Blanco” Becker, the so-called “man in white,” passed away from Lymphoma. News of his death seemed to touch a nerve on the hyperlocal level. You may not have known him personally, but his presence – dressed in handmade clothes of all white – always seemed a steadfast constant in a swiftly changing neighborhood.
Perhaps this connection of sight spurred everyone from neighbors to those who fleetingly crossed paths with the enigmatic Becker to share a memory.
A longtime resident of upper Orchard Street, Jimmy “Blanco” Becker attended NYU before succumbing to mental illness at some point in his mid-twenties. According to one of his neighbors, his ability to live in the apartment was owed to an arrangement between his parents and the landlord.
Through it all, Becker was lucky to have a tight-knit group of people looking out for him.
Vicki Rovere, curator of the Ludlow Street Free Store:
I regularly ran into Jimmy on the street late at night as I was scavenging the trash, collecting items for the Ludlow St. Free Store. I always said hello but never got an answer. But several years ago, he stopped and said, “I know who you are!” Ever since then we would exchange greetings; sometimes Jimmy initiated them. I got a few pieces of info from neighbors, but I’m happy to hear he got such great support.
Adrian Wilson, local artist and man about Ludlow Street:
Sad. Often saw him checking and rechecking and rechecking something extemely important in his own mind on random walls. He was obviously not all there but never really dirty and his stubble was always the same length!
One of his neighbors on Orchard Street:
RIP Jimmy. I’m so glad he got this lovely memory and that he made such an impression on people. He had his demons but I believe he loved his neighborhood and appreciated the people who acknowledged him.
very sadhttps://t.co/gWtomKAFcg
— John Norris (@Jonnynono) January 18, 2019
RIP Lower East Side Man in White, ‘Jimmy Blanco’ | Bowery Boogie https://t.co/Tq5SKkNtt9 via @boweryboogie. RIP Jimmy my neighbor at 191 Orchard Street
— Tom Barbaro (@tombarbaro) January 19, 2019
Rest in Power Jimmy Blanco you Lower East Side Legend known as the “Man in White.” Jimmy never spoke much and seemed a true lone wolf but Zig always made him smile. I remember watching them & thinking that Zig was truly a bee charmer. 🐝🐝 @boweryboogie https://t.co/YbWyxYs8Hv pic.twitter.com/npXwcqeEuz
— 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚊 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚍 (@marisaschein) January 18, 2019
Recent Stories
One Year Later, ‘Fiore Escape’ COVID Sessions Still Captivate
One year after first captivating passersby at Essex and Grand Streets, the free fire escape concert series is back for another. Indeed, musician Jill Fiore will perform anew from the second floor of her Essex Street tenement (above Delancey Car Service). The next so-called “Fiore Escape” show is slated for October 15, as announced on […]
Parks Department Installs Fence at Allen Mall Bathhouse in Response to Nadja Rose Madder
The Parks Department is upping the ante on deterring a homeless artist from painting and gathering at the Allen Street Bathhouse. Earlier this week, the city began assembling an eight-foot chain-link enclosure to (partially) fence in the sidewalk plaza. It is on this spot that transgender artist Nadja Rose Madder has been transforming the brickwork […]
Extell Residents in Cherry Street Tower Bark Foul Over Abundance of Dogs Despite No Pet Policy
Residents of Extell’s “affordable tower” at 227 Cherry Street are barking foul over the proliferation of pitbulls, despite the no-pet policy. We are told by current tenants that leases contain a strict stipulation prohibiting pets in apartments, and that management (Wavecrest) seems deaf and/or slow to act about the apparent violations. By some estimates, there […]
Aggro Panhandler Hurls Brick at Pickle Guys Worker in Brutal Attack
An aggro panhandler outside Pickle Guys on Grand Street attacked an employee after he was asked to move away from the store entrance, cops said. The suspect had been aggressively begging at around 8:20am last Wednesday when the 63-year-old worker told him to disperse. That didn’t sit well; the pugilist picked up a nearby chair […]
Educational Alliance Executive Becomes New Head of Manhattan JCC
From the Lower East Side to the Upper West Side. Rabbi Joanna Samuels, the sitting executive director of the Manny Cantor Center at the Educational Alliance, is set to become the new chief executive director of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan. Her new gig begins early next year, marking a significant transition at one of […]
