Walter W. Cole Sr., who was better known as Portland’s legendary drag queen Darcelle XV, died at the age of 92 on Thursday, March 23, 2023, a statement shared via his nightclub, Darcelle XV Showplace’s Facebook page announced.
“The family of Darcelle XV along with her cast and crew are heartbroken to announce that our beloved Darcelle (Walter W. Cole, Sr.) has died at age 92 from natural causes,” the statement read.
Cole was born on November 16, 1930, and raised in the Linnton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. He was described as a shy, “four-eyed sissy boy”. He served in the United States Armed Forces, and was discharged after the Korean War in the late 1950s, after which he lived a “conventional” life in southeast Portland with his wife and two children. He worked at a Fred Meyer store and described himself as having “a crew cut and horn-rimmed glasses”. Cole used military funds to help start business ventures.
The Guinness World Records had certified him as the oldest drag queen performer in 2016, with a career as an entertainer spanning 57 years at the time of his death.
Words fall short of expressing our grief for your loss, as we mourn with family and friends for this great loss. Please accept our condolences and may our prayers help comfort you. Please receive our heartfelt condolences.
Feel free to drop condolences messages and prayers for the family and friends of the deceased as it will go a very long way at this difficult time of theirs.
