RIP Darcelle XV – The Guinness World Record-Holder for the World’s Oldest Working Drag Queen Has Died at 92

May 10, 2023
TOMMY

The world lost a true icon recently with the passing of Darcelle VX at age 92. An Oregon native, Darcelle XV was awarded the title of World's Oldest Drag Queen by the Guinness World Records in 2016, then 85 years old (85 years and 273 days to be exact).

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Darcelle XV was born Walter W. Cole in the Linnton neighborhood of Portland, Oregon in 1930. Cole had a rough childhood with his mother dying when he was young and his father being an abusive alcoholic. This led to an aunt stepping in for both roles and an isolated youth feeling like an outsider. Like so many of our Queer siblings, Cole was branded "sissyboy" by his peers growing up.

Like so many Queer people of that time, the first role Cole played was that of the quintessential American. He served in the Army in the 1950s including a tour in Italy, married his HS sweetheart, Jeannette Rosini, had a son (Walter Jr.) and a daughter (Maridee), and then became the manager of a Fred Meyer store. It was all picture perfect; Norman Rockwell could neverrrrr.

Cole used the money he had saved up and opened Caffe Espresso, a small coffee shop near the university that catered to artists and beatniks, where he would host spoken word performances. It was around now that Cole started acting in local theatre, which is where he'd meet the true love of his life, Roxy LeRoy Neuhardt. Because divorcing his wife for his gay lover wasn't quite the vibe in the 1950s, the two kept their relationship a secret. But it was Neuhardt who would ultimately change Cole's life.

Between the 1950s and 1960s Cole owned a variety of businesses, all of which helped prepare him for when he purchased the Demas Tavern on Northwest Third Avenue in Old Town, Portland in 1967. But like so many now-Queer neighborhoods, Old Town was decidedly the skid row of Portland at the time. The customers were often very drunk, very loud, and sometimes very violent. Cole's solution to make them pay attention? At the age of 37, Cole put on his first dress.

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With their cabaret business still lagging a bit, the pair hired a lesbian bartender to bring in a hipper crowd, and Neuhardt suggested they start featuring female impersonators, an art form he had become familiar with from his time working in Las Vegas. It was in Las Vegas that Neuhardt got the name he would then suggest for Cole's drag persona. He saw a French performer named Denise Darcel, and thus Darcelle XV was born.

Darcelle XV entertained fans for over half a century with her long-running show at the bar that bears her name, Darcelle XV Showplace. Not only was she the oldest living drag queen, but Darcelle XV Showplace is also the longest continuously operated cabaret in the United States, with the building she performed in being awarded the status of National Historic Landmark. Her shows were constantly packed, with Darcelle often performing multiple shows a night, for most of a given week. Like all the drag greats, Darcelle XV was known for her razor-sharp wit and had a signature number: "Rhinestone Cowboy."

The Oregon and drag community-at-large honored Darcelle XV with a celebration of life, including a beautiful performance by the Portland Gay Men's Chorus.