Linda Pugach, Blinded By Jealous Ex-Lover (And Future Husband), Dies At 75

In 1959, a married man, angered that his beautiful 21-year-old mistress ended their affair, hired three men to throw lye in her face, because "If I can't have you, no one else will have you, and when I get through with you, no one else will want you." Linda Riss was blinded and scarred, but she eventually married her jealous lover Burt Pugach after he served 14 years in prison. Linda Riss Pugach died on Tuesday at 75, and the NY Times obituary notes that she and her husband's story is "one of the most celebrated crimes of passion in New York history."

The Daily News published covers from its 1959 editions, which followed the crime (Burt Pugach was a lawyer who ran for State Assembly). The Pugach's story was the subject of the 2007 documentary, "Crazy Love" by Dan Klores, who told the News, "She was a sheltered, naïve young girl. Her identity was centered around her physical beauty. When she had this romance with this older man — this obsessive relationship — he worshiped her for that physical beauty. And when that was taken from her, the scars weren’t merely on the outside."

The NY Times reports:

After the attack, Mr. Pugach appeared determined to continue their relationship. He telephoned her to suggest that they reconcile and later wrote her a torrent of letters from prison.

“At one point,” The Times reported in 1959, “he was said to have promised, ‘I’ll get you a Seeing Eye dog for Christmas.’ ”

Burt Pugach, 85, told the News, "We had a fairy tale marriage. She was extremely loyal to me." She was so loyal that she testified for her husband in 1997 when Burt Pugach was accused of sexually abusing and threatening to kill another woman (his mistress of five years). Linda Pugach said on the stand, “You’re a wonderful, caring husband."

The couple, who lived in Rego Park, reveled in their infamy, even if it meant going on "Judge Karen" when a neighbor complained that they wrecked her house with a fire. Fascinatingly, it seems that a female police officer, the NYPD's first female desk sergeant, Margaret Powers, encouraged Linda Pugach to meet her lover-attacker again. In 1987, Linda Pugach said of her marriage, "I think it's probably as good as most. Probably better."

Linda Pugach died of heart failure in Forest Hills. Burt Pugach said, "I don’t know how I’m going to be able to continue without her." He also insisted, "I asked one guy to find someone who would beat her up, to try and get her back. I didn’t ask anybody to throw lye at her."