Drag queen-doyenne Darcelle XV dies
Walter Cole, a bouffant-topped, sequin-spangled, drag queen-doyenne known as Darcelle XV, who reigned over a West Coast nightclub for more than 50 years on the way to becoming the world’s oldest working drag performer, died March 23 at a hospital in Portland, Ore. He was 92.
The death was confirmed by Kevin Cook ,a family spokesman who also performed at Cole’s Portland club, the Darcelle XV Showplace, in the drag persona Poison Waters.
At a time when states such as Tennessee have moved to restrict drag
shows in public places, the extravagance of Darcelle was embraced in Portland as a symbol of the city’s tolerance and quirkiness.
Cole became Portland’s unofficial goodwill ambassador in pride parades and at civic events.
In 2016 also came recognition by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest professional drag performer.
“I want to be remembered because I made somebody smile and care,” Cole said.
A host of Portland and congressional officials backed an effort to have Cole’s club added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 for its significance in LGBTQ+ history.
Walter Willard Cole was
born Nov. 16, 1930, in Portland. In his 2010 one-man show, “Just Call Me Darcelle,” he recounted the death of his mother when he was 9 and neglect and abuse by his alcoholic father.
Cole married his high school sweetheart, Jeannette Rosini, in 1951 and served in the Army in Italy before returning to Portland. They had two children.
Cole began acting in local theater and met fellow drag performer, Leroy “Roxy” Neuhardt, a former Las Vegas dancer. The attraction was immediate. But Cole kept their relationship secret for years. He came out in 1969 and moved in with Neuhardt until his death in 2017. Cole and his wife never divorced.
In 1967, Cole bought a tavern in Portland’s Old Town, that became a favorite for the city’s lesbian community. The stage was set for the dawn of Darcelle. At 37 years old, he did his first performance in drag.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, a daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.