25 years ago today, larger-than-life drag queen Divine (born Harris Glenn Milstead) died of a heart attack in Los Angeles.
In 2000, on what would have been Divine’s 55th birthday, the Sun wrote:
People from all over the world gathered at Ruck’s Funeral Home in Towson to mourn the outrageous transvestite, who paved the way for such cross-dressing performers as Ru Paul and Dame Edna. And they have never forgotten the man described by family and friends as gentle, generous and funny.
For an April Fools issue of The Talisman back at Towson High, I wrote an article claiming the principal had disavowed Michael Phelps as her favorite alum and was putting up a statue of Divine on Cedar Avenue.
It did not get printed.
Also, I used to live next door to Prospect Hill, where he’s buried. I should probably drop by sometime today.