Richard Rheem is described in the first volume of the Warhol film catalogue raisonne as "a young man from a prominent California family" who met Andy Warhol at a party given by his uncle Bob Rheem and the artist/poet Liam O'Gallagher to celebrate the opening of the E.P.I. Warhol asked Rheem if he'd like to be in movies. After Warhol returned to New York, Rheem wrote him some letters and spoke to him on the telephone. Two letters from Rheem have been found in Andy Warhol's Time Capsule 79 - one dated July 27, 1966 and another dated September 7, 1966. He arrived in New York around the beginning of October 1966 and a romance with Warhol ensued, with Rheem giving Warhol's address as his own (1342 Lexington Avenue) on a talent release dated November 7, 1966. Victor Bockris' biography of Warhol has them living together until the second week of December 1966. After they split up Rheem continued to write to Warhol on a friendly basis as letters from him have been found in Time Capsules 12, 19 and 10 from 1968 and 1969.

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