By Thomas Hughes | Bay Metropolis Information
The San Francisco nightlife neighborhood and others reacted to the sudden dying of longtime drag performer Heklina, 55, whose dying in London, England was first reported on social media late Monday.
Heklina, whose authorized identify was Stefan Grygelko, based on state courtroom paperwork, was performing for a number of weeks at London’s Soho Theatre with buddy Peaches Christ, also referred to as Joshua Grannell.
London’s Metropolitan Police have been referred to as by the London Ambulance Service at 9:47 a.m. native time Monday to a residence at Soho Sq. for a report of an unresponsive particular person, who was pronounced useless on the scene, based on a police spokesperson.
The dying is being handled as “surprising” and is underneath investigation. An post-mortem has not but been accomplished to find out the reason for dying as of Wednesday.
“I'm shocked and horrified to deliver this information to you,” Grannell wrote on his Fb and Twitter accounts Monday.
“I'm dwelling in a real-life nightmare so forgive me if I don’t have all of the solutions simply now. This morning, in London, England I went to gather my pricey buddy Heklina, who's costarring with me in a Mommie Queerest present right here, and located her useless. … Heklina is not only my finest buddy, however a beloved icon of our neighborhood.”
Along with a number of movie and TV appearances, Heklina was well-known within the San Francisco LGBTQ+ neighborhood for beginning the Trannyshack reside present, performing with Golden Ladies Stay, and opening Oasis Nightclub in San Francisco, which enterprise associate D’Arcy Drollinger took over in 2019, based on a publish from Drollinger on Oasis’ web site.
“Heklina’s passing is a devastating blow to the neighborhood,” Drollinger stated in an announcement on Fb.
“Personally, I'm heartbroken. I've recognized Heklina for 34 years. Opening the Oasis was a crowning achievement we shared, after performing for therefore a few years in different folks’s venues, to create our personal area was a dream neither of us believed we might do and but we did it collectively.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, stated in an announcement that he was devastated on the information.
“Heklina was an icon within the truest sense — humorous, caring, outrageous, and courageous. I first noticed Heklina carry out once I was a younger homosexual man within the Nineties, new to San Francisco. Through the years, I bought to know her and helped her discover a area for Oasis. I’ve not often labored with somebody as fierce, inventive, and devoted.
“Heklina created occasions and neighborhood areas that spun glitter and large wigs and raucous jokes into a sense of residence. She was fiercely outspoken and at all times stood up for her pals and neighborhood. She was the soul of San Francisco, and it’s arduous to think about the town with out her,” Wiener stated.
“Heklina was additionally a staunch defender of drag — which is underneath excessive assault proper now — and created alternatives for younger drag queens to seek out their area. Whereas we grieve, we should honor her reminiscence by remembering the enjoyment she introduced us and the significance of the artwork type to which she devoted her life,” he stated.
An announcement from Golden Ladies Stay on Fb on Tuesday stated partially, “Relaxation straightforward, and from the underside of our hearts, thanks for being a buddy.”