Sal DeFalco
September 9, 1958 - October 31, 2014

"Sal, It was fun... :-) "

"May your bright light shine on my friend. You'll be missed. "

"May you find Peace, In his Peace."

"When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. Thank you Sal for being a part of my life. What a blessing you are to so many. My thoughts and prayers are with your beautiful and loving partner Claude, your family, extended family and friends. God Bless you beautiful man, soul and spirit. "

"I remember the good old days back in Newark when we were growing up, Sal always made us laugh with his great sense of humor, personality and smile. I am so sorry for your loss, My thoughts and prayers are with the family, With deepest sympathy,,,Vicky"

"Sal, you will truly be missed. I will never forget the good times and laughs we all had together. For you were once my extended family. Always a beacon of sunshine and laughs. I will never forget when Helen brought me to Decatur to meet you and Claude. It had to have snowed over a foot of snow. With your camcorder in hand we tracked through wind gusts and hopped on the MARTA and down to the Piggly Wiggly for groceries. Everything was shut down for days and Helen and I ended up extending our visit with you and Claude. Another great memory was the big house we rented in the outer banks. Adele making her big pot of gravy and giant meatballs. Hanging out with family and friends. I will always admire your relationship with Claude and all the years the both of you spent together. Which only showed your character and who you were as a partner. So many stories of your years in NYC and bartending at Studio 54. You will truly be missed by so many people. Thank you for touching my life and bringing me unforgettable memories to cherish for years to come. The world lost a wonderful person but, you are now in safe hands. Along with Adele, I can only imagine all the trouble you two are stirring up already! XO"

"Claude, the nurses on the 6th floor are so sorry for your loss. We all loved both of you."

"Sal, your beautiful partnership with Claude for so many years has always been a great inspiration to me. You two make me believe in true love, in soul mates. Your kind of love can not be limited by a human body. You will live on, the two of you, for the rest of time. I will always smile when I think of your great big heart, your courage, determination, and feistiness; the way you always spoke your mind. I'm so glad I got to know you in this life. See you on the other side, brother."

"Sal you will be missed!! Loved working with you at Studio 54!! We had such awesome memories!! Rest in peace, Dear Friend!! Vickie Serra "

"We are so sorry for the loss of your dear one and our sincerest condolences to the family. Trials such as this one can be unbearable, "God is for us a refuge and strength, a help that is readily to be found during distress." Psalms 46:1 Draw close to God in prayer, He does not forget the outcry of the afflicted ones. He will give you the needed strength to endure the days ahead."

"MY DEAR FRIEND OF OVER 30 YEARS.....I CHERRISH MEMORIES FROM NEW YORK TO ATLANTA TO NORTH CAROLINA AND FINALLY TO FLORIDA....MEMORIES OF GAY PRIDES, AFTER HOURS, DISCO ROLLER SKATING, DRAG SHOWS, FIRE ISLAND, SCAIREY MARY, OSCAR PARTIES, AND DINNERS..........REST WELL MY SISTER AND SAY HELLO TO TERRY!"

"Claude, Our Thought & Prayers are with you and the rest of Sal's Fort Lauderdale Family. Sal - I will always remember your smile and your Eternal Uplifting Spirit. You Truly will be missed. "

"The greatest thing in life is to love and be loved in return! So many have paid tribute to Sal and expressed a true sense of loss at his passing. To Claude and the DeFalco Family Sal has attained the greatness of love! Sal, thanks for the memories. Love Uncle John,Aunt Hanna, Grandma Marion, Cousins; Lisa,Eric,Matthew, and Michael Chambers; Gina,Jack, Tyler, Zachary, and Gia Redling; Anthony, Evelyn, and Caitlyn Ferraioli; Joseph, Karen and Aria Ferraioli."

"Sal - As you fly with the angels keep an eye out for all your family and friends here on earth. The radiance of your smile will be an ever burning torch of love on our hearts. May you rest in peace. Love, your friend, Richard."

"My sincere condolences to Claude and to all of Sal's family. "

"Please accept my condolences for all who lost a loved one in that horrible day. Losing a dear friend or relative is one of the hardest things to deal with, especially when it's our child. Many have found this Bible verse to be comforting Isaiah 25:8 which tells us that God will swallow up death forever. The Bible also says that God will wipe away the tears from our eyes and death will be no more & neither mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away (Rev. 21:3, 4). "

"Bianca Jagger Had Very Bad Breath Posted by J. R. Silvey (This is an excerpt from a working biography titled "Still Breathing, Still Pouring" which I am working on with legendary bartender, Studio 54 groupie, and label whore Sal Defalco. This is all told from his real life perspective and please note it is a ROUGH DRAFT.) Studio 54 was already famous throughout New York and the Tri-state area after their April 26, 1977 opening. It only took the disco a week to become world famous. Even though I wasn't working there yet, every drip of gossip that came out of that place passed through my ears. My "date" for the Grand Opening, a very recognizable face from a very "fruity" and wealthy family in the New York area, rang me up to tell me about the next fiasco to come out of there. May 2nd was Bianca Jagger's birthday. She was the epitome of a New York socialite, married to a rock star, fundraiser, charity organizer, jet-setter, party-goer. You get the picture. There was only one place spectacular enough for her to have her party at and only one person she would let design it. Studio 54 and Halston, of course. Stevie didn't want to have the party on a Monday night. "Who the hell is gonna come out on a Monday night?" But then again, Steve Rubell did even more outlandish things and they still managed to turn to gold. This, my friends, is how we ended up with Bianca Jagger being lead through the doorways of Studio 54 on a white horse. This is what defines "making an entrance" and no one could forget this statuesque Halston-clad Nicaraguan goddess when she wanted to make an entrance. And when she was led off of her horse by a completely nude Victor Hugo and found her way onto the disco, she was surrounded by the likes of Mick Jagger, Liza Minelli, Halston, Calvin Klein, Sean Byrnes, Jerry Hall and my go to man David Geffen. Sex for cash was easy and fun and something David loved to do. Before Bianca Jagger, Studio 54 had hit New York hard. After her picture at the disco made its run over the front page of countless newspapers all over the globe, Studio 54 went world-wide. Steve Rubell would have made Studio the icon that it became no matter what, but Bianca sure as hell helped him along the way. Goldfrapp immortalized the entire even in her song "Ride the White Horse". I've only met the woman twice. The first time I ran into her, she was shopping with Steve Rubell in SoHo. As I walked with them, this small vintage barcalite box caught my eye. It wasn't anything fancy but it caught my eye. Steve offered to buy it for me. I still have it, tucked away in my closet, full of empty cocaine vials. While he was paying for it, Bianca walked off. As soon as she was out of earshot, Steve turned to me and whispered, "Damn, her breath stinks!" I didn't meet her again until a dinner party years later. I was having dinner at Francesco Scavulo's home. His lover, Sean Byrnes was there, along with Helen Gurley Brown and Enid Shore. It was around the holidays and Bianca came by the house to pick up her Christmas present to Halston. Scavulo had taken a gorgeous black and white photograph and had it framed. It must have been worth ten thousand dollars. Of course, she had a present for Franceso as well. She gave him a Halston cologne gift basket that could be bought at any JC Pennys and was probably found in the back of Halston's closet. The conversation for the next hour after she left was how cheap she was. I hope I don't offend Bianca. You know, she has done some wonderful things with the International Red Cross and in helping indigenous tribes in Latin America. She is still doing amazing things with the World Future Council. The girl has really made it. Doesn't change the fact that she was a mess before she did! - See more at: http://vapidutopia.blogspot.com/2012/08/bianca-jagger-has-very-bad-breath.html#sthash.tDFGQHFS.dpuf"

""The Party Never Stops" Posted by J. R. Silvey (I wrote this in 2010 as part of a reflective journal I needed for a school project. I needed to discuss current events, and that was the week that the CBS special aired with Sal and Claude. It sums up everything Sal meant to me) I was really fortunate to work with a guy named Salvatore Defalco. He turned 54 this year, but he still bartended. My nickname for him was old man! Oh, the stories. He knew every famous person there was to know, blah, blah, blah. It wasn't until he asked me for some help finding pictures from Studio 54 that an internet search showed so many stories I didn't know. He was a fashion model, he was on magazine spreads, and he was in the Advocate, a gay periodical, twice. He won a first of its kind lawsuit in Atlanta against a nightclub that fired him for being HIV-positive. The stories quickly changed from gossip to history. He knew people who rioted during Stonewall. He showed me movies I had never seen. Funny Girl! I grew up being open about my sexuality, but I wasn't gay until I saw Funny Girl! He taught me about *my* culture, *my* history. And he helped me and many others when we found out our own HIV status, over the years. When I cried, and got depressed, and withdrew from the world, he put it back into perspective for me. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. HIV doesn't kill you anymore. Do you know how many people I lost? You don't die from this anymore." And you know, that old man was right. I am lucky and I shouldn't feel sorry for myself. HIV/AIDS is an aspect of gay culture that I never knew about, as seemingly as inevitable for gays as pregnancy is for women, it seems. No one forced my choices upon me and I have to own my situation. Getting HIV destroyed my world, but it also forced me to wake up and change my life. Sal did all of the hard work, before I was even born. It is my turn to be the teacher to a new generation. I am a bit jealous that Sal got to be on Geraldo, in the New York Times, the Advocate, and interviewed by CBS. And don't tell anyone he got botox for the interview. He would kill me. - See more at: http://vapidutopia.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-party-never-stops.html#sthash.NArQqzSg.dpuf"

"You will be missed sweet Sal. Always smiling. Always greeting "good morning" when we walked in the bar at 10 o'clock at night... You are loved. "

"Claude and DeFalco Family....I never had a chance to meet Sal personally, but I felt that I knew him through Claude's many references. Claude you have been a dear friend since our college days at East Carolina. Every time you spoke of Sal, your entire face would light up and I fully understood the depth of your love and devotion to each other. To have known that love for 25 years is truly a blessing. And you told me stories about Sal's closeness with his family. My heartfelt prayers go out to all of you. Clearly there are so many wonderful memories of Sal that you all share, and I hope they will bring you comfort, now and in the days ahead. My love to you all... "

"I have known Claude for many years (decades really) and I was always in love with his twin brother. Of course, no one (even my good friends who were in on the joke) told me that Claude was only Claude and did not have a twin. They kept this going for years. I thought it was strange that I never saw them out at the same time but was told they worked jobs where they seldom could go out to the bars at the same time. The first time I met Sal, being invited for dinner to the 'Scarlet' house in Decatur, GA with our good mutual friend Ken Bundy I admitted that night that I had always had a crush on Claude's twin. Sal roared with laughter and Claude nearly spewed his wine across the table when everyone started laughing. Of course, I had no idea why until they told me that Claude did not have a twin. Dinner was homemade by Sal, hours in the making, sausage, meatballs and spaghetti. It was was one the best I have ever had. The evening was full of laughter, good food, great conversation and I will always remember Sal giving me a tour of the 'Tara'. All that knew him; knew his smile, his laughter, his jovial nature and his friendliness. May your light shine brightly down upon us Sal. He will be missed by many. Love to you Claude and peace be with you dear Sal."

"sorry, i meant 2007.."

"Sal.... I know you are in a better place now and not suffeing... I loved that face from the first moment i saw him bartending at then Boom in 97... Your warm smile great demeanor kept me coming back in... After a few years I felt as though you were more like family to me than anything... Your stories intrigued me and your warmth embraced me... I loved that you used to call me LA Liz because you said i looked so much like Liz Taylor... You were there for me when i sang my first song at Karaoke and said that i needed to keep singing and how lovely i was... I always felt like I was one of your favorites because you just made people feel that way... a genuine guy... You could be so feisty at times when needed (and at boom , hunters it was definetly needed)...but that was what I loved about you the most... you never took sh&* from anyone and always commanded respect... for not only yourself but for your loved ones, and the people you cared about and it showed.... I will always be forever grateful for our friendship... You made my life a sweeter place to be in and for that I have to say THANK YOU my dear dear friend for the laughs,stories, and wonderful memories that I will keep in my heart forever and ever... XOXOXO"

"I first met Sal in 1991 when I met Sal in 1992 when I was dating Sal and Claude's roommate Jamie Watson. Sal had that funny like Harvey Fierstein baritone voice, always had a quick joke, and a handsome smile, and he and Claude made me feel right at home in East Lake, Ga. ...Sal and Claude were there when my beloved Jamie passed away on April 1, 1996, they were so loving and supportive all through that difficult time I went through....I will never forget what a wonderful true, and honest friend Sal was to me. ....I would say rest in peace my friend Sal, but if you rooming in Heaven with Jamie, Carol Ann (Jerry Teese), and the many other friends and family that have gone on before you, then you'll have one Fabulous Disco Party for all Eternity! ~ ..I will miss you my dear friend."

"Loved you from the first moment I met you 37 years ago,will always love you forever, you gave me love family most of all Claude Tant who I'll treasure for the rest of my life. Thank You for everything and waiting for me to see you before you went to your other home. Love, Sharon"

"His jouney's just begun Don't think of him as gone away his journey's just begun, life holds so many facets this earth is only one. Just think of him as resting from the sorrows and the tears in a place of warmth and comfort where there are no days and years. Think how he must be wishing that we could know today how nothing but our sadness can really pass away. And think of him as living in the hearts of those he touched... for nothing loved is ever lost and he was loved so much. by Ellen Brenneman"

"As I look at this photo posted here, you all dressed up and such a handsome man, I recall the first time I saw you at the Limelight. My cousin Johanna Punzone pointed you out to me. I believe you were 16 years old at the time. We used to go to the Limelight on Tuesday nights to watch the wonderful, entertaining drag shows. You were standing by the service bar in overalls, one strap hanging and no shirt. I was in aw of your gorgeous face. Little did I know that first look would turn into many more. Of course, Johanna became best of friends with you and I was blessed to share in that friendship for all these years. You were a people magnet then and attracted many people throughout your life that truly loved you. You and Johanna brought many happy moments to my life. When you first introduced me to Claude, you told me he was someone very special and that he is. I too fell in love with him. Such a charmer and gentle man. You were so blessed to have found each other in this great big world and shared a wonderful life together for 25 years. You will be missed by many and I will miss you all the days of my life. You were so special, Sal. A bright light illuminating many lives. I will always love you. Claude, you know I love you and will be here for you. Anything I can do to get you through this difficult time in your life, please call on me. I would be honored to know that I helped you in some way. Sal knew many, many people, but he chose you to spend his life with. That alone should give you comfort and know how special you are. My heart aches now, but I know my friend is in a better place surrounded by people he loves and missed. He is in good hands with GOD!!! xo"

"It is difficult even 3 days later to believe you have gone on your next journey, a journey you know was one day going to happen and seemed to be ready when the time came. It was my honor and blessing to spend time with you just the night before this journey began. You have touched more lives then you can ever imagine and made quite an impact on each person in your own special way. I'm not going to say so long, but I will say I look forward to the day we see one another again. To Claude, you are and will always be his special Angel here on earth. You were by his side every minute possible. I know in my heart, it made a world of difference in these last months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. My condolences and love to you, Claude and every other family member and loved one in Sal's life. Sal, I celebrate today, tomorrow and always!"

"To have loved and been loved by Sal will be my greatest gift from God during my life. You took part of me with you my darling husband that I will never ever regain. Thanks for the best 25 years a man could possibly have. All my Love, Your Honey"

"Sal i will never forget you and your spirit and kindness will always stay in my heart..thank you for being my friend"

"to my dear Claude and all of Sal family words cannot express my feelings you're in my thoughts and prayers love Diego"

"What a huge loss for all. Sal was such a dear sweet man who brought so much joy to all. "

"To all of Sal's family, I am so very sorry that he has left all of us. My prayers go out to you fro my heart to yours, love Jaclyn."

"Claude and family, I can not find the words to express my feelings. May you all find the strength in the happy memories of Sal to get you through this difficult time. I will keep you in my prayers. xo "

"My sincere condolences to Claude and to all of Sal's family."