He was born in The Bronx, New York, the son of Tecla Baranowicz and David O'Sullivan.[1] At the age of fourteen, O'Sullivan had visited a tattoo artist in Coney Island, New York for which he got his first tattoo on his arm.[1][3] He learned about tattooing for which he had pursuit.[1] O'Sullivan served in the United States Navy from 1962 to 1966.[1] He also attended the School of Visual Arts, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1970.[1] He then emigrated to Mexico to attend Instituto Allende, where he earned his master's degree.[1]
O'Sullivan served as a tattoo artist in Mount Vernon, New York for which he had established a tattoo parlor store.[3] In 1976, O'Sullivan was a part of a protest of tattooing being banned by New York for which according to the Courier-Post, he had shown his work somewhere near the Museum of Modern Art.[4] He had stated that "Tattooing is perfectly safe".[1] In 1978, O'Sullivan was arrested for tattooing without a license.[1] In 1981, he had shown his work again from 1976 for which pornographic actress and sex educator Annie Sprinkle had taken part in what he was doing.[1] O'Sullivan had a legal case about his tattooing work for which New York had let go of the prohibity.[1] He was also an author of two books.[1]
O'Sullivan died in July 2022 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at his home in Asheville, North Carolina, at the age of 78.[1]
