Howard Brookner joined Facebook Nov. 25, nearly seven months and 54 years after he was born.
His page has a photo of the film director at 25, sitting in his New York apartment, and a growing network of old friends from a close-knit, real-life community of writers, filmmakers and actors.
There are "liked" fan pages, status updates and comments on pictures. The page even links to new accounts for Twitter and Instagram, which promotes scenes from one of Brookner's best-known films, "Burroughs: The Movie," a documentary about writer William S. Burroughs.
But Brookner, in fact, has never been on the Internet. He died of AIDS on April 27, 1989, long before Facebook's launch and just shy of his 35th birthday.
Aaron Brookner, his nephew, who is in the midst of remastering the Burrough's film for redistribution, is the one who put his uncle online.
"You have to be an individual person to set up any fan pages on Facebook. I'm not on Facebook myself. I got off a couple of years ago because it was stunting my creativity and making me self-conscious, but in order to do a page to promote Howard's movie, I had to set up an account," said Aaron Brookner, who is 30 and lives in London. "So I set it up in his name and began adding people who knew him."
The Howard Brookner Facebook profile is full of photos of the acclaimed filmmaker, whose films include "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars" and "Bloodhounds of Broadway," which featured Matt Dillon and Madonna. He has 53 friends, including his former partner, artistic collaborators and people that never met him but who "friended" his nephew. Part of the time, the account is promoting the Burroughs film; it recently solicited donations for a Kickstarter campaign. But the rest of the time, it's a living remembrance of a man long gone.
"How Burroughsian is this that we can all be friends here?" said one status update in late November.
"It's a little weird," said Brookner, who has set up a separate email address for the Facebook account. "But it's amazing how it's tied in. Burroughs thought immortality is the only goal we are striving for. That there's this sort of landscape beyond what's terrestrial in which one's existence could be. What's the difference between who is alive and who is dead? The line is very thin."
There are millions of accounts on Facebook that get left behind after people die. Many become memorials used by family and friends, while a few are shut down at the request of next-of-kin or through instructions left behind by the accounts' owners. But rarely is a profile created for a person decades after their death.
It's also against Facebook policy. "While users are free to create pages for those who are deceased, profiles must be operated solely by the named account holder," said Frederic Wolens, a Facebook spokesman.
But with a billion Facebook accounts, the rule is hard to enforce.
Brookner, who is also working on a film about his uncle's life, said that while there has been some discomfort about the account, he thinks overall it's had a positive effect.
"Everyone seems happy to talk about Howard. They're happy to have him back, even if it's on Facebook and for the sake of a movie. I've been amazed at how people are sharing memories that are so vivid," he said. "I wasn't sure how people would react, because people go into a major kind of shock after losing someone from AIDS. It's very painful. But there's something really sweet about his old friends requesting him."
"Some time ago I was motivated to do this film by this line that my uncle wrote: 'If I live on, it is in the films I made and in your memories."
Aaron said he is trying to do his part to keep that memory alive.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.