Walter Cole, known as the famous drag queen Darcelle XV, died Thursday of natural causes at 92. Darcelle holds the title world’s oldest working drag queen, as named by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2016. Darcelle also headed the longest-running drag show on the nation's west coast. When not performing, Cole was a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in the Portland, Oregon area. Cole also opened a nightclub over 50 years ago—the Darcelle XV Showplace—that made it on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020 for its significance to LGBTQ+ history.
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