FINAL HOURS

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Star Arrested Hours Before Death

The 46-year-old allegedly accused a hotel manager of running a prostitution ring and then flung a water bottle at him.

#2

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Lucian Piane had been arrested for assault hours before he was fatally struck by a car. The songwriter and producer was arrested Sunday by Glendale Police for reportedly throwing a water bottle at a hotel manager at an Embassy Suites. The 46-year-old allegedly accused the manager of running a prostitution ring, and then flung a water bottle at him. Officers arrested Piane for assault around 6:45 p.m. Lucian told police he was a writer who lived in Hollywood and insisted he didn’t take drugs, a source told TMZ. One source said that while Piane cooperated in the arrest, he was rambling and appeared manic. The guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race was taken into police custody at 7:42 p.m., issued a citation, and released at 11:49 p.m. He died just five hours later, after being hit by a vehicle while walking in Glendale. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner said he died from blunt trauma. Piane had another run-in with the law on Saturday, when he was cited for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was supposed to appear in court on Monday. Piane had been open about substance abuse in the past and in August said he had been sober for more than a year. His former collaborator, Marc Shaiman, said Piane had died “after a decade of a tragic descent into schizophrenia.”