Zavion Davenport, best known by the stage name Chi Chi DeVayne, has died, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. She was 34.
The date and cause of death were not disclosed. DeVayne had previously been vocal about her medical conditions, posting recently that revealed she was in hospital battling pneumonia.
In 2018, she shared on social media that she had been struggling with scleroderma for 8 or 9 months, adding that she was “afraid to expose it to the public in fear of losing out on jobs and facing criticism from friends and fans.”
DeVayne appeared as a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race from 2016-2019, including its All Stars show. On Twitter, its production company World of Wonder tweeted, We’re heartbroken to learn that Chi Chi DeVayne has passed away today. Her drag spread a message of love and kindness that truly touched each person she met. Rest in power, Chi Chi.”
On behalf of RuPaul, the official Twitter account for RuPaul’s Drag Race tweeted, “I am heartbroken to learn of the passing of Chi Chi DeVayne. I am so grateful that we got to experience her kind and beautiful soul. She will be dearly missed, but never forgotten. May her generous and loving spirit shine down on us all. On behalf of VH1, World of Wonder and the cast and crew of RuPaul’s Drag Race, I extend my deepest sympathy – from our family to hers.”
Tributes continued on social media throughout Thursday, with drag queen Pandora Boxx writing, “This is so heart-breaking Crying faceBroken heart RIP Chi Chi DeVayne Broken heart My heart goes out to all of Chi Chi’s family, friends and fans.”
