Pianist and colorful con man Marcel de Sade (born Jørgen Vase Schmidt in Denmark), 91, died on Dec. 16. De Sade lived la dolce vita in 1950s and ’60s Copenhagen and Paris, throwing wild parties and kibitzing with Jean Marais, Jean Cocteau, and other cultural heroes. He claimed to make his money trading in jewelry, but in 1963 he was convicted for embezzling from the oil company where he worked, and served three years in prison. Once released, he became even more of a celebrity, as a singer and pianist, a lecturer, and talk-show host. He was the subject of the 2004 film Denmark's Marquis; the 1967 film I – a was loosely based on his life. De Sade—who also worked for decades as a nursing assistant at old-age homes—said that “If there were to be a higher justice, I would certainly not be punished in the next life. I'm absolutely sure of that. For what I have accomplished in this world, one may not be able to see, but I have always been indulgent, kind, polite, paid for my friends' debts and done all I could to help where possible. So I don't think I'm in debt in any way.”
