Drag Race star Maxi Shield dies aged 51 five months after diagnosis

maxi shield has died aged 51, five months after announcing a cancer diagnosis. The Sydney-based drag performer and RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under contestant had been undergoing chemotherapy after tests following an emergency hospital visit at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Maxi Shield's career highlights

Maxi Shield, born Kristopher Elliot, was a veteran of Australia’s drag world with more than two decades of performance. She appeared in the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 and in the Gay Games opening in 2002. A fixture on stages on Oxford Street and across the country, she hosted and performed at long-running events, festivals and fundraisers and was known for a deep commitment to community, inclusion and celebration.

She also contributed written work, serving as a Star Observer contributor who penned articles and opinion pieces. Maxi described herself as a proud, “plus-sized older queen” and embraced the label of the season’s “seasoned chook, ” speaking about showing up authentically and lifting others up, particularly within Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ communities she cared about.

Drag Race Down Under details

Maxi Shield competed on the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under in 2021. On the show she performed a Snatch Game impression of Magda Szubanski. Her run ended after she placed in the bottom two of the makeover challenge and then lost a lip-sync against Scarlet Adams.

Health crisis at Edinburgh Fringe

Last year while performing overseas at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Fountain Lakes In Lockdown: A Drag Parody, Maxi was hospitalised after suffering an issue with a swollen gland that was pressing on blood vessels in her throat. She described the experience as a “very scary” health issue. Subsequent tests revealed cancer; she shared that “this little swollen thing on the side of my throat is cancer” and that it had a “70-80 per cent treatment rate. ”

From a hospital bed in Scotland she provided candid updates and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love. She began chemotherapy after the diagnosis, and her latest round of treatment started in January.

Community reactions and tributes

The initial announcement of her death was posted by Wigs By Vanity on Instagram, writing: “It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our dearest sister, Maxine, has passed away. ” The post added that those close to her were mourning “the loss of an incredible icon, friend, and our beloved sister, ” thanked her for “the laughs, the cackles, and the magic” she brought to their lives, and said, “I will cherish every second of our 30-year friendship, and I’m so grateful that I was a part of your chosen family. You will be forever loved and deeply missed. I love you old girl. ”

Universal Sydney also shared a statement posted by licensee Dillon Shaw, saying: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the news of our beloved Maxi Shield’s passing. ” Dillon Shaw wrote that in all his years in the community he could not remember a time when Maxi was not an iconic presence, adding the parenthetical that “she’d absolutely smack you for reminding her of that. ” The Universal statement praised Maxi for working across every queer venue in Sydney and for touching hearts across the country and around the world through her appearance on Drag Race Down Under. It warned that “this Mardi Gras will feel different, ” calling gatherings more solemn as people carry the space left by her smile, quick wit and remarkable spirit.

Fellow performers and fans posted memories of Maxi’s sparkling stage presence and the joy she brought to audiences throughout Australia and beyond. Beverly Buttercup wrote on social media: “What a fight you gave it!” and added, “What a showgirl! A true legend will be sadly missed. ”

Fundraiser and hospital updates

After her diagnosis, fundraisers were organised to assist with medical expenses and travel challenges. One fundraiser set a goal of $10, 000 and hit that target within three days. Through treatment she continued to receive support from friends, fans and fellow performers as she underwent chemotherapy in an attempt to shrink the tumour.

Maxi Shield’s death at 51 comes five months after the cancer diagnosis was announced, closing a chapter on a long career that left a marked impact on Sydney’s queer cultural life and on audiences internationally.