Doll artist. Daughter of the Rev. William Lankton and Marilyn "Lynn" June Wunder. Born Greg Robert Lankton, she transitioned to female at 21 and took the name Greer Betony Lankton. She married designer Paul Monroe in 1987 in New York City. They separated in August of 1990 and divorced in 1993.
Lankton became known for creating lifelike sewn dolls that were often modeled on friends or celebrities and posed in elaborate theatrical settings. She was a key figure in the East Village art scene of the 1980s in New York.
She struggled with drug addiction and anorexia for many years. She died on November 18, 1996, of a drug overdose in her Chicago apartment, just a month after completing her final and largest work, titled "It's All About Me, Not You".
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 21 Nov 1996:
Rising installation artist Greer Lankton, whose current exhibition at the Mattress Factory, North Side, depicts her Chicago apartment, was found dead in that apartment Saturday by her parents. The artist, 38, often used her experiences as a transsexual in her work. "We don't know the real cause of death," said her mother, Marilyn Lankton of Park Forest, IL. Ms. Lankton's father is the Rev. William Lankton of Calvary United Protestant Church in Park Forest. "We were in contact with Greer every week," Marilyn Lankton said. "I would call and she would call back. I called on Saturday and left a message. There was no call back. We were concerned but not overly at first." When messages from Ms. Lankton's friends also went unanswered, the Lanktons obtained an apartment key. They found their daughter on the floor. The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy and reported that the cause of death was pending while toxicology tests were being conducted. Results should be known in six to eight weeks, officials said. "It's very difficult to know what Greer died of. She had asthma and was anorexic. She was not healthy," her mother said. Ms. Lankton also had a history of heroin addiction. At her opening here Oct. 20., Ms. Lankton told a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer that she had developed toxic shock syndrome from being raped in an alley behind her apartment building months before. "I'm not sure she was attacked, not completely," her mother said. "She was dramatic, full of life and had a good sense of humor. She did a series of drawings that were the story of her life. Chronologically. She loved it in Pittsburgh."
"Having Greer here was really great," said Sara Radelet, Mattress Factory assistant to the director. "She was here for a week helping us organize her gallery space, selecting space for photographs, her dolls and designing the layout. "We worked together a lot and I really liked her. She was always very perceptive and organized when it came to her work. I was impressed."
Ms. Lankton had a stellar career in a curious medium. After studying two years at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago instead of in high school, she graduated with honors from Pratt Institute in New York City in the early 1980s. She then lived in Manhattan's East Village. She appeared on the cover of Art in America magazine and had a five-page resume of exhibitions. Ms. Lankton was represented in the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial and the Venice Biennale, both in 1995, and also had a major exhibition at the University of Minnesota. The youngest of three children, Ms. Lankton had been married and divorced.
"Greer had always been a different child," her mother said. "I had concerns when she was 2. At 19 she had a breakdown. That's when she began cross-dressing. She became female at 21. It's always been an open subject with us. She was a very, very open person. She brought us along. We do not know that she had returned to heroin. We have to wait to see if that is a factor in her death."
"Greer's being cremated. We will scatter her ashes. We want the memorial service Saturday to be a celebration of her life." Ms. Lankton's father will conduct the service. Memorial contributions may be sent to Calvary United Protestant Church, Orchard and U.S. Route 30, Park Forest, IL, 60466. They will be directed to the Chicago Presbytery Gay-Lesbian Concern of Chicago, Marilyn Lankton said.
Deanna V. Lankton passed suddenly July 30, 2016; age 74. Preceded in death by her husband Dennis. Loving mother of Julie (late Ronald) Brown, Dennis (Michelle) Lankton and Denise Barrett; grandmother of 7, great grandmother of 3 grandsons; sister of Vicki (late Vic) Suster and Kris (Russ) Howard.
Memorial Service Tuesday 1 pm at the Lewis E. Wint & Son Funeral Home, Clarkston where friends may visit Tuesday 11 am until time of the service. Inurnment Lakeview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
BROWN, Ronald L., age 71 of Waterford died September 23, 2014. He was the husband of Julie; father of Jodie (Marvin Hill) Hall, Bruce (Beth) Brown, Ronny Brown and Zachary (Alisha) Brown; grandfather of Emily, Kayte, Jenna, Luke, Morgan, Brandon and Cara; brother of John (Peggy) Brown, Nancy Frazier and Jim (Hope) Brown. Son-in-law of Deanna and the late Dennis Lankton. Preceded in death by his siblings Alfred, Betty Jo and Rex.
Memorial Service Friday 12:30 pm at the Lewis E. Wint & Son Funeral Home, Clarkston where friends may visit Friday 11:30 am until time of the service. Inurnment and Military Honors Lakeview Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Mercy Hospice. Online guestbook www.wintfuneralhome.com.