Rupaul’s Drag Race and Pose Star dies at the age of 44

The star of the dragste Bianca Castro-Arabjo, who played like Jiggly Caliente, died at the age of 44, said his family.

The interpreter, who found glory in the fourth season of the RuPaul Dragsters race, was part of his leg amputated on Thursday after undergoing a “severe infection”.

Caliente had been a judge in the spin-off of the Philippines of the series and had also appeared in the American successive television series Pose.

His family wrote in an Instagram statement: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Bianca Castro-Arabjo, known to the world and cherished by many as Jiggly Caliente.”

They said that she died in the early hours of Sunday morning “surrounded by her loving family and her close friends”.

Caliente’s family paid tribute to her “infectious energy, her fierce mind and her unwavering authenticity”, adding that she left a heritage “of love, courage and light”.

“She touched countless lives through her artistic talent, her activism and the real connection she favored with fans around the world,” they said.

“Although her physical presence has disappeared, the joy she shared and the space she helped to create for so many people will remain forever.”

Drag Queens colleagues have left tributes to the online Philippine-American interpreter.

Laganja Estranja, who appeared in the sixth season of the American reality TV program, said that Caliente was a “nice and attentive soul”.

The Star of Rupaul Drag Race Uk Baga Chipz described Caliente as “one of the nicest and the softest souls I have ever met”.

Cheryl The Queen, who also participated in the British version of the show, wrote: “We will love you forever and always Jiggly.”

Tia Kofi, who won the Drag Race UK against the world, said that Caliente was “someone I came to get advice, I admired, who gave me support when it was the most necessary and, I can’t lie, was always there for good potential!”

Born in the Philippines in 1980, Caliente moved to the Queens in New York district with her family when she was a child.

She quickly became a favorite of fans on the Dragsters race of Rupaul for her sense of humor and her memorable interactions with other queens, when she appeared in the series in 2012.

In a particularly memorable moment, while arguing with Caliente, her colleague competitor Lashauwn Beyond the Catchphrase “It was not Rupaul’s best friend”, who was frequently repeated in the later series.

Caliente then launched an acting career, appearing in episodes of sitcoms Broad City and Search Party.

She played the role of Veronica in the television drama Pose, who told the LGBT ball culture in New York in the 80s and 90s.

Caliente, which is published publicly as Transgender in 2016, later returned to the world of the Dragsters race, in competition in the sixth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2021 and judging the Spin-Off Drag Race Philippines show for three series.

Before her death, Drag Perterner’s family said Thursday that she had suffered a “serious health” that led to the loss of “most of her right leg”.