It is with a heavy heart that we’ve learned actor and trans-rights activist Alexis Arquette has passed away at age 47 on Sunday, September 11. Her passing was confirmed by her brother Richmond Arquette. Alexis was born Robert Arquette, and her transition from male to female was documented in the 2007 film Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother. Alexis’ cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
Arquette was maybe best known for playing a Boy George-inspired character in the 1998 comedy The Wedding Singer, as well as a memorable bit role in Pulp Fiction. She also had small but memorable parts in dozens of other films in the ’90s and early 2000s, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Threesome, Inside Out, and Bride of Chucky, and television series like Xena and Roseanne. Alexis came from a famous family, as her siblings were well-known actors Rosanna, Patricia and David Arquette.In a statement written via Facebook post, (via US Magazine) Alexis’ brother Richmond said. “Our brother Robert, who became our brother Alexis, who became our sister Alexis, who became our brother Alexis, passed this morning September 11, at 12:32 am. He was surrounded by all of his brothers and sisters, one of his nieces and several other loved ones. We were playing music for him and he passed during David Bowie’s Starman. As per his wishes, we cheered at the moment that he transitioned to another dimension.”
He added “I am feeling immense gratitude to have been afforded the luxury of sharing life with him/her, for learning from Alexis, for being given the gift of being able to love her/him and to be loved by him/her. He was a force. He died as he lived, on his own terms. I am immensely grateful that it was fast and painless. It was an incredible moving experience and I am humbled and grateful to have been able to have been with him as he began his journey onward. Thank you, Alexis, I love you and will always love you.”
Alexis’ sister Patricia also paid tribute to her late sibling with two tweets of Alexis’ favorite songs: David Bowie’s “Starman” and T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer.”
Breaking through the veil singing StarMan https://t.co/A3way5S3Lb
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) September 11, 2016
To My first best friend – Cosmic Dancer https://t.co/jgAqLrqxW0 — Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) September 11, 2016
On a personal level, I knew Arquette best as the host/co-host of Los Angeles’ best Glam Rock/Drag live show and dance club extravaganza Club Makeup!, which she either hosted or co-hosted monthly from 1999 till 2002. Every month, Arquette hosted a fabulous themed party where the club-goers were encouraged to dress up and be as fabulous as the performers, with a variety of theme nights ranging from ’70s Glam Rock to ’80s New Wave, to Sci-fi movies to Superheroes, to everything in between. It was LA’s coolest nightclub, and when it finally ended, a light went out from the Los Angeles club scene that never quite came back.
Our condolences go out to the Arquette family, and all of Alexis Arquette’s friends and loved ones.
Do you have a favorite Alexis Arquette movie moment? Let us know down below in the comments
Image: Cactus Three/Tigerlily Films