Celeb hairstylist left in intensive care after brutal attack outside West Hollywood gay club
Gay hairdresser Alberto Vasquez was brutally assaulted on 5 April after leaving a LGBTQ+ bar in West Hollywood. (GoFundMe/Instagram)
Gay celebrity hairstylist Alberto Vasquez was left in intensive care and had to have part of his skull removed after being brutally attacked outside a West Hollywood nightclub.
The 53-year-old was attacked on 5 April at around 8pm local time after leaving LGBTQ+ nightclub Heart Weho in the Rainbow District of West Hollywood, California.
Following the attack, Vasquez spent more than a week in an intensive care unit and had part of his skull removed to relieve pressure on his brain, as reported by the Daily Mail.
His sister, Gloria Jimenez, told the publication his family believe the attack may have been a hate crime, noting that he did “not get robbed” during the attack.
“He’s got injuries all over his body, his neck, we don’t know if he’ll ever be the same,” Jimenaz said.
“He’s the type of guy who wouldn’t harm anyone we know this for a fact, I mean he’s harmless and to leave him almost for dead is awful.”
A GoFundMe created by Brett Foreman on behalf of Vasquez’s family to cover medical and living expenses has amassed almost $60,000 (£48,218) in donations at the time of writing.
Comments left on the fundraiser share support for the hairdresser and wish him a speedy and full recovery.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the crime but has not yet made any arrests.
Pony Studios in Oakland, where Vasquez had worked, posted on Instagram following the attack and asking for people to donate to his GoFundMe.
“We do not know if he was randomly attacked by a stranger in what could be a homophobic or racist hate crime, or if he was attacked by someone he interacted with at one of the bars,” the post said.
New York City hair colourist Joseph Mullen also posted the heartbreaking news on his Instagram.
“Our dear friend, talented hairdresser and all around amazing person, Alberto needs our help and support,” he wrote in a post sharing the GoFundMe link.
