# Walter Cole (Darcelle XV) worlds oldest working drag queen died yesterday

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [March 25, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651 "2023-03-25T17:21:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651/1 "2023-03-25T17:21:39Z")

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NPR story [here.](https://www.npr.org/2023/03/25/1166043152/darcelle-oldest-working-drag-queen-dies-92)

He, or she, (didn’t care what pronoun you used) was 92.

Over 20 years ago one of our friends wanted to go see the show at Darcelles for her (our friend’s) 50th birthday. none of us had ever been so didn’t know what to expect. About 10 or 12 of us went and had a lot of fun. The staff was very welcoming and friendly, the drinks were good, and the show was fun.

Don’t know what will become of the venue now that Darcelle is gone but we hope it goes on.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651/2 "2023-03-25T17:36:34Z")

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Did they present as an old woman, or (through the miracles of makeup and costuming) as a young woman?

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651/3 "2023-03-25T18:01:21Z")

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My condolences to Walter Cole’s family and friends. Perhaps he will be noted for the first claim to that title but he’ll probably be exceeded in age by a new claimant before long.

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**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651/4 "2023-03-25T18:14:04Z")

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He presented (on stage) as a middle-aged to old woman. The picture of him in the NPR article is a fairly recent photo. When the local news would interview him he would most often be dressed in men’s clothing without makeup. He was perfectly comfortable in either persona.  
And before anybody jumps on me, he didn’t care what pronouns were used when referring to him/her.

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**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\
**Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/walter-cole-darcelle-xv-worlds-oldest-working-drag-queen-died-yesterday/981651/5 "2023-03-25T22:32:58Z")

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Reminded me of Finocchio’s. They opened in San Francisco in 1936, but they closed in 1999.