On Thursday 20th August it was revealed Chi Chi DeVayne had passed away age 34 after a battle with pneumonia. Their non-stage name was Zavion Davenport who marked themselves as Drag Race royalty after their stint on the eighth season of RuPaul’s’s Drag Race coming in fourth place.
Chi Chi’s passing is an incredibly sad story; however, we shall remember her best moments and the queen that spoke up for all the disheartened poor gay kids in the South and brought joy to thousands across the globe.
We first met Chi Chi in 2016 when she walked into the workroom declaring “My name is Chi Chi DeVayne, and I don’t get ready, I stay ready”. Her energy and southern charm were infectious; we fell in love with the queen who never let her financial issues impact her drag and instead used this has her unique flare in the competition. For example, she first walked into the workroom in a dress made of bin bags, and we were all gagging.
She slayed the competition specifically in the ”Bitch Perfect” challenge, which saw her twerking and prancing across the competition grant her and her team the win. Her amazing dance moves and lip-syncing ability cemented her as a lip-sync assassin after her iconic second lip-sync to ”And I am Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls. It was in this iconic lip-sync that her beads fell across the floor, making for one of the most popular lip-syncs in herstory.
Chi Chi’s Snatch Game performance of Eartha Kitt is also incredibly unforgettable; she literally pretended to be a cat which may not have been very Eartha Kitt. Still, we couldn’t take our eyes off her as she played with a furball in front of RuPaul.
Chi Chi also stared in All Stars 3 featuring her new direction of drag which merged cosplay and art to make a stunning style of drag. One standout in All Stars 3 was the Wigs on Wigs challenge which saw her combine her ancestry with drag and is probably one of my personal favourites looks from Chi Chi.
Rest in Power Chi Chi Devayne, you gave a voice to thousands of young people across the globe, and your quick wit and sickening looks have placed you as Drag Race royalty.
Watch Chi Chi’s Best Bits Here:
