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Graffiti Writer Wayne 'Stay High 149' Roberts Dead at 61

Posted Jun 12th 2012 5:35PM by Kenneth Partridge
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Seminal graffiti artist Wayne Roberts, better known as "Stay High 149," the tag he painted on New York City subway cars throughout the early '70s, died yesterday (June 11) from complications of liver disease in the Bronx, N.Y., the New York Times reports. He was 61.

Roberts' tagging career was brief -- by the mid-'70s, he'd begun a decades-long battle with drugs and vanished from the scene -- but he influenced generations of graffiti writers with his distinctive style.

Drawing inspiration from the TV series "The Saint," he devised as his logo a haloed stick figure with a joint in its mouth. One of his more memorable pieces, a top-to-bottom job on the IRT subway line, appeared in Norman Mailer's 1974 book The Faith of Graffiti.

Born in Emporia, Virg., in 1950, Roberts began graffiti writing after moving with his family to the Bronx in the late '60s. He worked on Wall Street as a messenger, and while riding the trains, he was inspired by tags left by other artists. His "Stay High 149" moniker stemmed from his propensity for smoking marijuana, and on his website, he admitted to burning through about an ounce a week.

After being absent for most of the '70s and all of the '80s and '90s, he resurfaced in 2000, when his work was featured in a Brooklyn gallery show. While he never capitalized on acclaim, young artists hounded him for autographs and treated him like a celebrity, much to his surprise.

"When he came back on the scene, he had no idea how important he was," said author and archivist Eric Felisbret.

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Filed under: Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop News, R.I.P.
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Around The Web:

Wayne Roberts, 'Stay High 149' in Graffiti Circles, Is Dead at 61

Stay High 149 (by Sky Farrell & Chris Pape)

Rest In Power Wayne “Stay high 149” Roberts | Complex

Rest In Paint Wayne “Stay High 149″ Roberts | Mass Appeal

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kar

Helll YEeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally It Happened.....I got rid of all my ISHHH
from my credit report y'all - I was in deep for 5 years. Coudn't buy
sheeet. Just approved for that 25k loan to buy a new CAMAARO!!!

IF YOU GOT PROBLEMS WITH THAT CRE DIT HISTORY ISHH, CLEAN ALL THAT BS RIGHT OFF. YOu can get yours too, call these PROS at 877-499-4850 - THEY ARE CHEAP AND DID AN INCREDIBLE JOB FOR ME. Got Rid of all my Shyyyt - i coudn't believe how quick they work.

My homeboy was in terrible
shape too, and he clean in a matter of this summer! Gettin a condo now!

Hit em up - they will help!!!!!!

June 13 2012 at 4:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

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