On March 23, Walter Cole — known to most as Darcelle XV, the world’s oldest working drag queen — passed away at 92 years old. For decades, Darcelle would spend her weekends onstage at Old Town’s Darcelle XV Showplace, performing alongside other lauded drag artists. The night after her death, like any Friday for nearly fifty years, a show began. But this one would honor her wish: The show would go on without her.
Darcelle’s impact on Portland and the international queer community cannot be overstated. She “worked her entire adult life to make [the club] a safe space for each and every one of us,” said emcee
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