Maxi Shield, a Sydney-based star of Australia’s RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, died over the weekend six months after announcing a throat cancer diagnosis. She was 51, Deadline reports.
Shield, who offstage also used her birth name Kristopher Elliot, chronicled the cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment on Instagram. Her passing, which some reports indicate occurred on Saturday, February 21, was announced today by World of Wonder, producer the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, according to the report by Deadline.
“We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Kristopher Elliot AKA Maxi Shield,” the company wrote on Instagram. “A part of our Down Under legacy, her electrifying presence on and off the stage will inspire us forever, and our deepest condolences go out to her friends and family. RIP, we love you Maxi.”
A cause of death was not specified.
In her most recent Instagram post on January 30, Shield wrote, “Weekly update-ish. We are stronger we think! This is my 29th day since my last treatment.
As you know, the first few weeks were tough. It’s probably the worst I’ve felt over this whole experience. But each day I’m feeling a little better..Seeing a tiny light at the end of the tunnel really has lifted my spirits. To anyone out there going through this or even recently being diagnosed, you are stronger than you know, this is just a moment in an incredible life you have left to live… you can do it.”
News of the death also was shared by friend and Down Under co-star Vanity.
“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our dearest sister, Maxine, has passed away,” Vanity wrote on her Wigs By Vanity page. “We are all mourning the loss of an incredible icon, friend, and our beloved sister. Thank you for the laughs, the cackles, and the magic you brought into our lives. I will cherish every second of our 30 year friendship and I’m so grateful that I was apart of your chosen family. You will be forever loved and deeply missed. I love you old girl.”
Maxi Shield, who competed in 2021 on the inaugural season of the Australian edition and came in sixth, also starred in the 2023 Australian comedy thriller The Winner Takes It All and was a regular performer in Sydney’s LGBTQ+ venues. She developed a devoted following for her candor in discussing her illness, her hard-won sobriety and childhood physical abuse.
“I loved this queen,” wrote Drag Race Down Under judge Michelle Visage on Instagram today. “A glorious human on the inside and out. Your love, heart, talent and energy will be missed…. @maxishield rest in power, my angel, you were truly one of a kind.”
Born in Ballina, New South Wales on June 1, 1974, Shield performed at the 2000 Olympic Games closing ceremony and opened the Gay Games in 2002. In 2022 she appeared at RuPaul’s DragCon LA in Los Angeles.