“He remains an invisible man in black music history. Rumors swirl — some say he's a junkie, others insist his masculinity is a fraud... Gospel singers whispered his name, women fol­lowed him home, junkies and drag queens idolized him.”

His story has been a series of fuck-ups, small and tragic. At 29, living at home under close supervision, he acknowledges what he has done: “I never wanted to hurt anybody.”