‘Bright and rising star’: Drag queen dies after collapse during performance at Philly gay bar – New York Daily News

A beloved Philadelphia drag queen died this week after collapsing on stage during a performance at a local gay bar.

Valencia Prime, 25, is being remembered by the City of Brotherly Love’s LGBTQ community. She collapsed during a show at Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar, owner Jeffrey Sotland told NBC News.

“Today we mourn the loss of a very bright and rising star in the performance community and a person who was always full of life and positivity,” the bar said in a statement on Instagram. “We say goodbye to Valencia Prime but we will not forget the light you brought to the stage.”

A cause of death has not yet been released.

Prime, who identified as a transgender woman, might be honored with a special show at the venue, Tabu said in a subsequent statement.

“We are communicating with their family to make sure we have their blessing and input,” Tabu said.

Friends are reflecting on Valencia’s kindness.

“She was a sweetheart — the most encouraging person,” Serena Grace, who grew up near Valencia, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “She was kind to everyone. I pray her family heals from the loss.”

According to the report, Prime studied at Temple University before beginning her performance career.

Among Prime’s grieving relatives was her mother, Christiana Marcus-McRae, who wrote on Facebook, “25 yrs ago, April 2nd at 7:58pm, I gave birth to my 2nd child and today, I’m making funeral arrangements.”

A GoFundMe has been established to help Prime’s family with funeral expenses and has already exceeded its $8,000 fundraising goal.

“We would love for the community to help her mother and the rest of her family give her the proper memorial we know she deserves,” read the GoFundMe.

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