Obituaries
Holly Woodlawn, Transgender Star of 1970s Underground Films, Dies at 69
Dec 9, 2015nytimes.com by William Grimes Dec 7, 2015
Holly came from Miami F-L-A,
Hitchhiked her way across the U.S.A.,
Plucked her eyebrows on the way,
Shaved her legs and then he was a she.
Holly Woodlawn, a transgender actress who achieved underground stardom with her affecting performance as a starry-eyed down-and-outer in the 1970 film “Trash,” died on Sunday in Los Angeles. She was 69.
The cause was complications of cancer, her manager, Robert Coddington, said.
Ms. Woodlawn had been in the o... [more]
Jim Bailey, Impersonator of Hollywood's Female Icons, Dies at 77
Jun 2, 2015hollywoodreporter.com - by Mike Barnes
Jim Bailey, a self-proclaimed "character actor" who did spot-on re-creations of such iconic female entertainers as Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and Peggy Lee, has died. He was 77.
Lyra The Original 1952 - 2015
Apr 21, 2015The more I cry.. the more I understand.
I sincerely believe that.
What Lyra taught me was that we have a voice, that can be heard, and it can be loud.. and it can also be silent.
The test of time captures only one thing, our experiences. The times we spent with that person... and that applies to every single individual relationships we have. We cannot avoid this stuff, we are humans, affected by what we feel.
Lyra is gone. But.. she is not gone. She lives in our own lives, in the way that we have had little moments with her, and... [more]
Lyra 1952 -2015
Apr 16, 2015My Friends,
We lost a true and dear friend to us all this week, Lyra The Original. I will miss her terribly. She and I became close over the years and we shared our lives together. We laughed, we cried, we shared our most private thoughts. As many of you know you Lyra was here on the Urna long before most of us. She could put a smile on anyone's face and she had her way with puns, a true punster if the ever was one. Lyra had no close family. Her parents and sister had already passed on. She had a few close friends where she lived, but Lyra was a loner and a shut in. So I f... [more]
Eddie Bell, known as Cookie Dough, dies (Feb 5, 2015)
ebar.com - by Cynthia Laird
Eddie Bell, who was known to many as drag queen Cookie Dough, died January 29 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Francisco. He was 51.
RIP Melbourne Drag Queen Feral Beral (Nov 26, 2014)
gaynewsnetwork.com.au - Written By Cec Busby
Melbourne's LGBTI community has lost one of its bright stars, with the passing of Adam Winsor, better known as drag act, Feral Beral.
Winsor, 36, passed away at Melbourne's Austin hospital yesterday afternoon. He was ... [more]
Local drag entertainer Louis "Lady O" Orozco dies at 43 (Nov 25, 2014)
sdgln.com - Timothy Rawles, SDGLN Staff Writer, and George Vernon, SDGLN Contributor
San Diego, California -- Louis Orozco, a beloved drag personality in San Diego's LGBT community known as Lady O, died late Sunday night after collapsing at a Hillcrest nightclub, according to his long... [more]
Transgender Pioneer and Stone Butch Blues Author Leslie Feinberg Has Died (Nov 17, 2014)
advocate.com - By Advocate.com Editors\
Leslie Feinberg, who identified as an anti-racist white, working-class, secular Jewish, transgender, lesbian, female, revolutionary communist, died on November 15. She succumbed to complications from multiple tick-borne co-infections, including ... [more]
Transgender Teacher Who Fought School Boards Dies (Sep 30, 2014)
abcnews.go.com - By Wayne Parry - Associated Press
Lily McBeth, the teacher whose battles with school boards in conservative areas of New Jersey made her a reluctant symbol of the transgender rights movement, has died. She was 80.
McBeth died Sept. 24 near her home in L... [more]
PASSAGES Naya Taylor (Jun 26, 2014)
windycitymediagroup.com - By Jen Stanley
Windy City Times received word from Lambda Legal that Naya Taylor passed away June 20 unexpectedly passed away after complications from a heart attack. Lambda Legal was representing Taylor, a transgender woman, in an unrelated federal discrimin... [more]
Stonewall Veteran, Drag King Icon Storme DeLarverie Dies At 93 (May 28, 2014)
advocate.com - By Lynn De La Cruz
Storme DeLarverie, a longtime member of the Stonewall Veteran's Association and pioneer LGBT activist, died Saturday morning. DeLaverie was 93 years old.
The Bronx LGBTQ Center called DeLarverie the "Rosa Parks" of the gay rights moveme... [more]
Op-ed: Remembering Pioneering Trans Writer, Activist, Matt Kailey (May 21, 2014)
advocate.com - By Jacob Anderson-Minshall
Trans author and activist Matt Kailey passed away this past weekend.
His sister shared these details: "I wanted to let you know that Matt Kailey, my brother, has passed away. He died of heart failure in his sleep Saturday night/... [more]
Trans Pioneer Christie Lee Van De Putte Dead at 51 (Apr 6, 2014)
advocate.com - By Sunnievie Brydum
Christie Lee Van De Putte, a transgender woman considered by many to be a pioneer after she challenged a Texas court ruling which invalidated her marriage to her late husband, died on March 15. She was 51, and a cause of death was not announced.
Jaci Adams, 56, a transgender woman active in LGBT and AIDS programs (Feb 17, 2014)
articles.philly.com - By John F. Morrison, Daily News Staff Writer
You wouldn't think that anyone who had endured what Jaci Adams had in a life of childhood abuse, drug addiction and prison would have any right to be cheerful and friendly.
And yet there Jaci was, in ma... [more]
Lou Reed: Perhaps Bisexual, Definitely a Voice for All (Oct 28, 2013)
advocate.com - By Trudy Ring
While some commentators are describing Lou Reed, the legendary singer-songwriter who died Sunday, as the first openly bisexual rock star, Reed was often evasive about his sexual orientation - but he was also a voice of acceptance for all.
Passing Of An Australian Icon - R.I.P. Sue King (Oct 23, 2013)
qnews.com.au - By Ray Mackereth
There are some people who have an amazing ability to reach out and touch the lives of many other people. Sue King was one of those incredible people who did just that!
Sue fought many battles in her life and as the first New Zealand Trans... [more]
Remembering Bobbi Fries (Oct 18, 2013)
wisconsingazette.com - Written by Louis Weisberg
Roberta Fries, known as Bobbi, was Queen of the SAGE Spring Fling a few years ago. (SAGE is a social service, and advocacy organization for LGBT seniors.) But she was more widely known for her adoption work. She died Oct. 9 following su... [more]
York Pride honours memory of transgender singer Chrisie Edkins in charity fundraiser (Aug 27, 2013)
pinknews.co.uk - by Scott Roberts
A donation has been made to the Beaumont Society in memory of a popular transgender singer and entertainer.
Chrisie Edkins, from Hampshire, died on 10 June just weeks after performing at this year's York Pride.
Legendary Drag Queen Jose Julio Sarria Dead at 91 (Aug 20, 2013)
advocate.com - By Sunnivie Brydum
Legendary gay rights activist and founder of the Imperial Court System Jose Julio Sarria died this morning in his home in New Mexico, reports GLAAD. Sarria was 91.
Sarria was a World War II veteran who after being discharged in 1945 be... [more]
Remembering PJ Torokvei: Comedy Genius Behind 'WKRP' Was Transgender Trailblazer (Jul 10, 2013)
hollywoodreporter.com - As told to Scott Feinberg
Producer Stan Brooks recalls how the screenwriter, who died July 3 at age 62, revealed his plans to become a woman: "I was hoping for Christie Brinkley; I fear I'm heading toward Bea Arthur."
PJ Torokvei, a Canadian-born... [more]