After spending over 17 years in prison for killing his temporary roommate over a drug debt, o.g. Club Kid Michael Alig is a free man. He left the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, NY, earlier today on a conditional release.

A cult figure for years, thanks in part to James St. James’ Disco Bloodbath, a written account of the murder of Limelight employee Andre “Angel” Melendez, Alig’s profile was further inflated when Macaulay Culkin played him in the 2003 movie Party Monster. This is part of the reason why people seemed to be tickled about the release of a man who killed a former friend of his with the help of Drano (in Alig’s account, he injected Melendez with Drano; in co-killer Robert “Freeze” Riggs’ account, Alig poured it down Melendez’s throat).

Fabulousness, apparently, forgives a lot. It should be noted, though, that parole officers allegedly denied Alig parole in 2006 after watching Party Monster. (Riggs and Alig both pleaded guilty to manslaughter, and were convicted of it in the first degree. Their sentence was 10-20 years. Riggs was released in 2010.)

And look, he’s already almost getting in trouble all over again:

Here is the first video footage of the newly free Alig:

James St. James wrote a letter to the man whose legend he helped foster (“YOU’RE WELCOME”), which you can read here in its entirety.

[Top image via Michael Alig’s Twitter]