July 26, 2020
'Hey Qween!' Host, Iconic LA Performer Lady Red Couture Dies, Twitter Reacts
READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Lady Red Couture, host of the popular YouTube series "Hey Qween!" and an LA-based drag performer, has died. She was 43.
The news comes via friend and "Hey Qween" creator Jonny McGovern, show took to Instagram Saturday to announce her passing.
"I can't believe I am writing this message, but the unthinkable has happened," he writes. "We are in shock. We are devastated.
"This morning at 5 a.m., I received a call from the hospital letting me know that Lady Red just passed away," he went on to write. "I was told she was improving yesterday and ready to move out of intensive care. But very early this morning she had an episode and coded and she was just gone. I was just with her Mom and sister. We are in shock. We are devastated."
Jezebel notes that Lady Red was in intensive care since last Sunday due to complications related to cycling vomit syndrome, a chronic condition. During that time, McGovern was sharing crowdfunding to social media to cover her hospital bills and help support her during recovery. He said the money raised will go towards helping Lady Red's family for funeral costs.
"She meant so much to so many people," McGovern wrote in his the post. "All I can do is cry and mourn the giant loss of my sister, creative partner, and best friend."
In June, Lady Red, often known as Mother Couture, was featured in a Harpers Bazaar feature called "Striking Portraits of America's Most Legendary Drag Queens." In the piece, she calls herself the "largest living-singing drag queen in captivity."
"I've been around for a long time so anything that sparkles or shines, I'm very good at," she added.
The article also noted her "motherly role mentoring younger queens."
"I call it stealing their energy, because that's really what it is," she joked, adding, "I always tell them: Don't live in muck and mire, because it's unnecessary. The devil is on his job, so why shouldn't we be?"
Condolences for Lady Red from friends, colleagues and fans poured in on social media. Find some of the responses below.
