Chilli Pepper | |
|---|---|
| Died | September 11, 2024 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Bionic Woman [1] |
| Occupations | Female impersonator, entertainer, advocate |
Chilli Pepper was an entertainer, female impersonator and trans woman who was known as a frequent talk show guest in the 1980s and was a HIV/AIDS awareness advocate. [1] Pepper's name was added to the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor in 2025. [2]
As a teenager Pepper travelled from Santiago, Chile to Chicago, Illinois to win her first impersonation contest and later became a local celebrity in the 1970s from performing at the Baton Show Lounge. She won Miss Gay Chicago in 1974 and the first Miss Continental drag pageant in 1980. [1] [3]
In the 1980s and 1990s, Pepper went on to appear on such television talk shows as The Phil Donahue Show , The Jenny Jones Show , The Joan Rivers Show , The Jerry Springer Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show . [3]
In 2017, in a Chicago Magazine interview, Pepper told writer Bill Zehme she was preferable to the term "female impersonator" over "drag queen." [4]
On March 14, 2024, at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards Pepper and a talk show host Paolo Presta presented the GLAAD Vanguard Award to Oprah Winfrey. [5]
Chilli Pepper died peacefully in her home Chicago on September 11, 2024, after having stage four cancer. [1] [4]
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