Family and friends have announced that Lady Chablis, the world-famous Savannah performer who was a main character in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and also starred in the film adaptation, has passed away. She was 59.
She was a groundbreaking figure in the transgender world and admired for bringing attention to LGBT issues long before it was fashionable or widely accepted.
A statement from Club One, where she still performed until her last days, says in part:
"Just as The Book shined the spotlight on Savannah, so too did Chablis shine the spotlight on the gay scene, and especially on Club One. She was Club One’s very first entertainer, officiating our grand opening in 1988, and paving the way for female impersonation in Savannah. No one, however, could outshine the Grand Empress herself."
Funeral arrangements haven't been announced as of this writing.
Another famous figure from 'The Book,' Nancy Hillis — renamed "Mandy" in John Berendt's novel — passed away last month.
She was a groundbreaking figure in the transgender world and admired for bringing attention to LGBT issues long before it was fashionable or widely accepted.
A statement from Club One, where she still performed until her last days, says in part:
"Just as The Book shined the spotlight on Savannah, so too did Chablis shine the spotlight on the gay scene, and especially on Club One. She was Club One’s very first entertainer, officiating our grand opening in 1988, and paving the way for female impersonation in Savannah. No one, however, could outshine the Grand Empress herself."
Funeral arrangements haven't been announced as of this writing.
Another famous figure from 'The Book,' Nancy Hillis — renamed "Mandy" in John Berendt's novel — passed away last month.
