Drag Race Star Sahara Davenport Dies, Cause Of Death Unconfirmed

Sahara Davenport, star of RuPaul’s Drag Race, has died. Huffington Post have reported on the news, after rumors of his death began to surface today (October 2, 2012). Details of Davenport’s death have yet to be released, though the news that he has passed away has been confirmed by several people close to him, including RuPaul and the Drag Race judge Michelle Visage.

The Logo Network, who screen Drag Race, released a statement to say “Logo is profoundly saddened by the passing of Antoine Ashley who fans around the world knew and loved as Sahara Davenport. He was an amazing artist and entertainer who'll be deeply missed by his Logo family. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, especially his boyfriend Karl, in their time of need.” Wikipedia lists Davenport’s age as 27 but according to Huffington Post, he may actually have been 32, as a New York Times piece dated from 2009 said that he was 29 at the time.

In that interview, Davenport explained why he had moved to New York, to find fame and fortune: “I had to build my name here by doing talent nights, talent competitions and networking and meeting all the working girls and figure out how to work this animal of New York City. The New York scene is so much bigger than in Dallas.” On Twitter, RuPaul played tribute to Antoine by saying “Shocked & heartbroken over @SaharaDavenport. Never occurred to me that we'd ever lose one of my girls. I see them as immortal.