1 week Ago By Rebecca Sayce
RuPaul’s Drag Race has been rocked by several tragedies since it began in 2009The world of drag is in mourning following the death of Jiggly Caliente.Aged 44, the RuPaul’s Drag Race star—whose real name is Bianca Castro—suffered a ‘severe infection’ that led to the operation.Days after having their leg amputated, Castro’s family announced the star had passed away ‘peacefully’ in the early hours of Sunday morning.
They are an important part of Drag Race’s legacy, appearing on season four of the reality TV show, All Stars season six, and as part of the judging panel on Drag Race Philippines.This isn’t the first time the show has been rocked by tragedy, with queens opening up about various health woes, addiction battles, and legal issues since appearing on the show.Groundbreaking episodes across the show’s run have seen queens share their experiences with everything from gender identity to religion and the LGBTQ+ community, conversion therapy, and living with HIV and AIDs.
But once the cameras stop rolling, many queens have faced extreme hardships.Tragic deathsNews of Jiggly Caliente’s death comes just months after Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne died.Join Metro's LGBTQ+ community on WhatsAppWith thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community.
Simply click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! Don't forget to turn on notifications!The Vivienne died in January (Picture: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)The drag community is now mourning the loss of Jiggly Caliente (Picture: Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage)The performer, real name James Lee Williams, died on January 5 at the age of 32.Williams’ body was found in the bathroom of their home in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, with their cause of death revealed as a result of ‘effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac arrest.’Their family is now fighting to change the law so that ketamine would be classified as a Class A drug to ‘protect vulnerable individuals’.
In 2022, fellow Drag Race UK star Cherry Valentine, real name George Ward, died by suicide aged 28.After taking their own life, Ward was found at home in Hornsey, North London by friend Katie, who had been out at a concert that night.Cherry Valentine died by suicide in 2022 (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/Shutterstock)Chi Chi DeVayne died in 2020 after being diagnosed with pneumonia (Picture: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)Ward, who was a qualified mental health nurse and helped the NHS with vaccinations during the pandemic, also suffered from depression.
Season 8 queen Chi Chi DeVayne died in 2020, aged 34, after being diagnosed with pneumonia.The drag queen, real name Zavion Davenport, had been in and out of hospital following suspected kidney failure.They underwent a biopsy and dialysis, a procedure to remove waste products and excess fluid from the blood.
Days after the procedure, they were discharged from hospital and posted a video on social media, telling fans they were ‘about to go home’.Sahara Davenport was the first contestant from the show to tragically die (Picture: Brian Putnam/Getty Images)Bandit died aged 38 in 2023 (Picture: World of Wonder/WOW Presents+)However, fears for her health returned when they shared an Instagram update revealing they were back in hospital.The first Drag Race contestant to die was in 2012, when Sahara Davenport, real name Antoine Ashley, died aged 27 of heart failure.
In 2023, Drag Race Thailand season 2 contestant Bandit, real name Bandit Janthawan, died at the age of 38. Their cause of death remains unknown.Health woesSeveral queens who have appeared on the show have spoken about their health issues while competing, though some have experienced medical problems following their stints.
Cynthia Lee Fontaine was diagnosed with cancer shortly after appearing on the show (Picture: Nina Westervelt/Variety via Getty Images)Cynthia Lee Fontaine, who appeared on season 8 of the show, was diagnosed with stage one liver cancer two weeks after filming wrapped.They went into remission shortly after undergoing four rounds of chemotherapy.Speaking about her diagnosis after experiencing symptoms while filming the show, Cynthia said: ‘I was diagnosed with stage one liver cancer.
There were so many cancer cells in my liver that there was a risk of the cancer spreading to the rest of my body. It was insane.’They told Medium: ‘There is the shock reaction when you get the news—first you block it out and you see everything around you.
My oncologist was talking to me, and I felt like I was in a drama movie hearing this whistle in my ear. I blocked it all out, and did not listen to any of his words.’Cynthia was later diagnosed with avascular necrosis, a condition common after cancer treatment, which causes bone tissue to die due to a lack of blood supply.
Because of this, the drag queen underwent a hip operation and was forced to take a lengthy break from performing.https://www.instagram.
com/reel/CkmPuNjLqCI/?utm_source=ig_embed‘Sadly I have been dealing with a lot of pain on my hips since last year,’ they wrote on Instagram at the time.‘This was due to exposure to my chemo treatment and also steroids ( Pain Killers ) back in the days when I was battling cancer . that’s why I need hip replacement surgery on both sides.
’Cynthia isn’t the only Drag Race queen to face cancer, with season 13 contestant Tamisha Iman having to drop out of season 12 when they were originally cast after being diagnosed with stage three colon cancer.Veronica Green, who starred in both Drag Race UK and Drag Race All Stars, shared last year that they had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.The performer shared the news on Instagram, explaining that over the summer they ‘got very sick’.
‘My body went numb, and I lost the use of my hands. After several blood tests, numerous MRI brain and spine scans and a lumbar puncture I finally got my diagnosis. Thankfully my body has returned to “normal”, and I’ve regained all of my fine motor skills but the permanent damage to my body has left me with a lot of neuropathic pain in my hands,’ they continued.
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Whitby/Getty Images)While Veronica said they were thankful that they could ‘still sing and dance’, there was ‘no way’ of knowing how the disease would affect her moving forward.‘It’s progressive and has no cure, but I’m taking every step possible to keep it at bay and hopefully prolong the time between my next attack,’ they shared.‘Realistically I could be walking with a cane in 5 years and in a wheelchair in 10, but there is hope that with disease modifying therapies and self-care of my nutrition and lifestyle that I may be able to stay healthy for a lot longer but only time will tell.
‘I wanted to share my story with you all to raise awareness about a disease that isn’t very well known and also to be able to document my progress to look back on in the future. I hope to be able to work for many years to come and this is merely the beginning of my MS journey.’They concluded the post by writing: ‘Love to you all and thank you to everyone who has already messaged me with love and support.
I will eventually get back to you all.’Willow Pill, who won the 14th season of the show, opened up about living with a rare genetic disorder, cystinosis, which primarily affects the kidneys.Willow Pill opened up about their experience with cystinosis, a rare genetic disorder (Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)‘It’s a frickin’ ravenous and thorough disease,’ they told People.
‘My kidneys went into failure when I was 14, and within a year, I was on dialysis and received a transplant from my brother. But then cystinosis starts to infiltrate other organs as you get older.’Addiction battlesVarious queens, including The Vivienne, bravely opened up about their experiences with addiction during their time on the show.
After quickly becoming a fan-favourite queen on season 7 of the show, Katya has experienced relapses into drug addiction since.In 2018, the drag queen announced they were taking a break from drag to address issues with their mental health and addiction.Speaking on the Whimsically Volatile podcast, Katya, real name Brian McCook, said they experienced a ‘total psychotic break.
’Katya has checked into rehab various times due to substance abuse issues (Picture Rick Kern/Getty Images)Katya, who frequently collaborates with fellow season 7 queen Trixie Mattel, took a break from drag in 2018 (Picture Rick Kern/Getty Images)‘I couldn’t tell what was real or not real,’ they said. ‘I thought it was just a drug problem. No, mama.
’Katya, who co-hosts podcast The Bald and The Beautiful with fellow season 7 queen Trixie Mattel, added: ‘It was rock bottom. You have the bottom of the barrel, I was the sludge under the barrel.’Last year, Katya postponed their live tour to check into rehab to address their addiction issues.
Sharing the news online, Katya said: ‘There’s a saying for the active alcoholic or drug addict that the trajectory of the life course has three possible outcomes: A) jail, B) institutions or C) death.‘Unfortunately, I find myself squarely and firmly and quite uncomfortably in the B camp right now.‘In an effort to make things good with you in the future, I’ve got to make things good for me right now.
’Bimini had an emotional talk on their podcast about addiction (Picture: John Phillips/Getty Images)Drag Race UK star Bimini shared their experience with substance abuse on their podcast The Pieces.They said that was amplified by powerful men in showbusiness who ‘chewed [them] up and spat [them] out’ and a loss of credibility in the Drag Race world due to issues with merchandise.‘People were scammed, and I felt so deeply responsible for this.
Unfortunately, it all caught up on me and then since then it has been a battle for the last three and a half years,’ they said.They added: ‘There were times when I didn’t know what I should be doing for myself, and sometimes I think that made me look like I felt like I was maybe better than Drag Race, but it’s not the truth. I’m so grateful for Drag Race and everything that I got from Drag Race.
I loved it. I watched that show all of the time.‘There was a lot of gossip within the community about what I was going through and my troubles with addiction and my troubles with drugs and they were from friends that I felt really hurt by.
‘I’m not saying that they’re to blame. I don’t think I was ready to admit things that, at the time anyway. I came up through the scene where there is a lot of alcohol.
There is a lot of drugs. The community really does struggle with it. But I have decided that enough is enough and I can’t continue anymore.
’Eureka O’Hara entered rehab in 2022 (Picture: Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for MTV)In 2022, season nine and 10 queen Eureka O’Hara entered rehab, saying that it has been ‘really hard, to be honest’ about their decision.‘I’m in Rehab. It was time for me to get my addiction and mental self under control,’ they wrote on X.
‘I made this decision and it’s been really hard to be honest about it. I’m embarrassed! These are some of my first steps. I love you all so much!’A horrifying car crashSeason 16 contestant Morphine Love Dion and Drag Race Canada season 2 contestant Kaos were involved in a car crash that left one person dead last year.
According to local news reports, the accident took place on the 10 freeway in Los Angeles, in the Jefferson Park area.On Morphine’s Instagram Story, a statement read: ‘Saturday night, Morphine was in a serious car accident while in an Uber.Morphine Love Dion (pictured) and Kaos were involved in a car crash that left one person dead (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Morphine and Kaos (pictured) addressed the crash in separate Instagram posts (Picture: Chelsea Guglielmino/WireImage)‘She suffered multiple injuries but is grateful to be alive.
‘Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. Some space and time is appreciated as she focuses on healing.’Kaos wrote on Instagram at the time: ‘Just so everyone knows I am ok just been on bed rest.
‘I will be making a post explaining what happened this weekend once I am in the right headspace and also can explain it all and the accident.‘For now resting and sorry won’t be posting any dragon stuff right now either that will come later prob next week!’They added: ‘If anyone has posts or pics or stories of me with them from Dragcon I will be resharing those though as they are uplifting and making me feel positive and better!!! So feel free to share!’Got a story?If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.
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