Partner Edward Albee
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University of Toronto, King's College Cir, Toronto, ON M5S, Canada
Jonathan Richard Thomas (1946 - May 2, 2005) was a sculptor who exhibited widely in North America. He was the longtime partner of Edward Albee.
Albee was a heavy drinker, but the problem became particularly acute in the early 70s. He stopped with the help of Thomas, with whom he has been with since 1971 ("I'd be dead without him," he told Gussow), but suffered several spectacular falls off the wagon.
Thomas worked in wood, wood pulp, polymer resin and steel to create a series of abstract, African-inspired totems. He also exhibited related works called language robes, which were bannerlike constructions draped over armatures.
He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, and earned a bachelor's degree in science and mathematics in 1968 and another in art history in 1969, both from McMaster University in Ontario. He did graduate studies in art history at the University of Toronto.
He died on May 2, 2005, at his home in New York. He was 59. The cause was bladder cancer, said his long-time partner, the playwright Edward Albee.
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