Trivia

He was awarded the 1990 Joseph Jefferson Award Citation for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for "Mass Murder" at the Prop Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.

In 1992 he opened a printmaking studio in Chicago, Big Cat Press, which later became an exhibition space, Firecat Projects.

Published books include, The Wonder: Portraits of a Remembered City, volumes 1, 2 & 3, This Train with Alex Kotlowitz, Bum Town, Dime Stories, Secret Birds, Max and Gaby's Alphabet.

Has two children, Max and Gabrielle (Gaby).

An early break came in 1989 when the powerhouse New Orleans R&B group the Neville Brothers hired him to create the cover of "Yellow Moon." The album would become the group's global breakthrough and earn them a Grammy.

His multidisciplinary approach to art was evident early in his career; in the late 1980s he was appearing as an actor in films and local theater, hosting a movie review show on radio, writing for a local newspaper and had his work accepted at group gallery shows in New York and Philadelphia.

He was open about his struggle with alcohol and drugs, which occasionally was so severe it would interfere with his life and work. In 2024, Fitzpatrick said that he hadn't had a drink in 33 years.

As a gallery owner, Fitzpatrick often advocated for people who didn't necessarily follow the traditional art school trajectory but who he felt still had a valuable voice.

Tony Fitzpatrick was an American artist, poet, and actor who drew on inspiration from his life in the Chicagoland Area. He acted on stage at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago and in productions in NYC, and appeared in a number of major motion pictures and TV series.

During his youth, Fitzpatrick also developed an interest in birds, which influenced his later work.

He published multiple books of his art and poetry in addition to having work exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, among other esteemed venues.

Fitzpatrick was also radio host for a time and later became a podcaster.

According to family members, he was awaiting a double lung transplant and died at Rush University Medical Center.

He designed album covers for artists like Lou Reed, The Neville Brothers and Steve Earle.

Fitzpatrick was always more than a visual artist, not only acting in theater and television productions but writing newspaper columns and countless poems to match.

For decades, the spirit of Chicago has been imbued in Fitzpatrick's collages and etchings, which hang in museums, "L" stations, taverns and private homes.

After high school he fell into a succession of temporary jobs including bouncer, cab driver, caddy, bartender, and day laborer.

His idiosyncratic style often features an animal surrounded by numbers, musical notation or other motifs that congeal into a dazzling whole.

At Montini Catholic High School Fitzpatrick said that he flunked art and barely passed his other classes.

The five-pointed star logo for taco spot Big Star and the poster for Lollapalooza 2015 are his as well.