The artist George Ward had participated in the British version of the ‘talent show’ and starred in a BBC documentary
RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant George Ward, known by the stage name Cherry Valentine, has died at the age of 28, his family announced in a statement.
Cherry Valentine rose to fame after competing on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the UK version of the hit US show. After that, she began a television career that even led her to star in her own BBC documentary entitled “Gypsy Queen and Proud”.
The artist died last Sunday, but at the moment the cause of death has not been revealed.
“It is with the deepest and most heartbreaking sadness to inform you that our George Ward, Cherry Valentine, has tragically passed away,” Ward’s family said in a statement, according to the BBC. “This will be a profound shock to most people and we understand that there is no easy way to advertise it. As his family, we are still processing his death and our lives will never be the same.”
Before becoming a successful drag queen, Ward worked as a registered mental health nurse.
Cherry Valentine grew up in Darlington, County Durham, as part of a Roma community, graduating as a mental health nurse in 2015. The drag queen decided to return to work within the health system due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
” I can’t stay home, I need to do something,” the artist told Metro.co.uk at the time. “I ended up going back (to nursing), working neuro for a couple of months. I was high-intensity neuro for adults, so (treating patients with) brain damage and brain injuries,” she explained.
“It was a weird crossover because I’m obviously trained in mental health. During the pandemic, he was very focused on physical health, so he was dealing with Covid, which was a bit of a shock. I did that until we got back to recording again. “, I already remembered that its edition suffered a break of months due to the coronavirus.
A GoFundMe fundraising page has been set up for a vigil with a set goal of £5,000.
This tragic death is added to that of other young talent show contestants such as Chi Chi DeVayne, who died on August 20, 2020, after a long illness, or Sahara Davenport, who died on October 1, 2012, due to heart failure.
Farewells to Cherry Valentine
After learning that the drag queen Cherry Valentine had died from the World of Wonder platform, they wanted to pay tribute to the artist:
” We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of George Ward, aka Cherry Valentine. As an artist, nurse, and activist, Cherry will always remain a beloved member of our Drag Race family. Cherry’s love and irresistibly infectious laughter touched the lives of so many. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends” read the message.
For her part, the drag queen and partner of Cherry Valentine, Cherryl Hole, also had these words for her friend: “I never thought I would have to write this about one of my sisters so soon and, honestly, I have no words to describe it. talented and beautiful Cherry was and how the world has lost such an amazing queen. RIP Cherry Valentine I LOVE YOU.”
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.