Maxi Shield, global drag community mourns the loss of Australian icon
Maxi Shield, Australian drag performer who is one of the season’s breakout stars RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Belowdied. Shield, whose offstage name was Kristopher Elliot, was 51 years old.
The news broke overnight and literally sent a shockwave through the drag world. Media outlets in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe reported news such as the surprising fame the reality TV show bestowed on its brightest stars.
In a social media post in September, Elliot confirmed that he had been diagnosed with throat cancer.
Confirmation of Elliot’s passing was announced on social media by his close friend Vanity, who said: “We are all mourning the loss of an incredible icon, friend and beloved sister. Thank you for the laughs, laughter and magic you brought to our lives.”
Though that was his fame in the world RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under Carrying the name and reputation of Maxi Shield around the world, this woman has endured two decades of hard work and perseverance in an industry known for both its glitz and glamor during this chapter of her life, and the hard work and courage it takes to work behind the scenes.
Shield’s performances included the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 and the opening of the Gay Games in Sydney in 2002. Elliot appeared in an episode of the television medical drama. All Saintsand also played Maxine Fowler in the 2023 movie. Winner Takes All.
In 2015, Shield was named national hostess for Madonna’s Australian Rebel Heart Tour and won Entertainer of the Year at the Drag Industry Variety Awards.
As is often the case in the strange world of reality TV, The Shield was not the winner of the show’s first season. Downward Drag Racing When released in 2021. He actually finished sixth. But something about his personality and natural warmth translated to the television screen, resulting in a relationship with the show’s global audience.
Downward Drag Racing head judge Michelle Visage remembered Shields with the following statement: “I loved this queen. An amazing person inside and out. Your love, heart, talent and energy will be missed. Maxi Shield rest in strength my angel, you were truly one of a kind.”
World of Wonder, the production company behind the global series, said: “It’s part of our Down Under heritage. [Maxi’s] His exciting presence on and off stage will forever inspire us, and we send our deepest condolences to his friends and family.
One Interview with Sydney Star Observer in 2021Shield acknowledged the role she played in giving plus-size people a voice and presence on screen.
“I just wanted to be me,” Shield said. “I’m a silly old queen, I’m not skinny. I wanted to represent plus size older girls and show everyone that just because you’re over 40 doesn’t mean you’re dead. Sometimes the gay community thinks that getting older means you’re done.”
Michael Idato is general culture editor of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect with: X or email.
