Remembering the LGBTQ+ stars and icons we’ve lost in 2026
Fashion legends, drag icons, Broadway stars and reality TV trailblazers have all left us in 2026. (Getty/Canva)
In 2026, the LGBTQ+ community has lost stars, famous faces and community figures, from drag legends to fashion powerhouses and groundbreaking reality TV stars.
In addition to LGBTQ+ stars lost so far in 2026, the community is mourning the passing of staunch LGBTQ+ allies, including Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara, Euphoria actor Eric Dane, and Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek.
Here, we remember the LGBTQ+ celebrities, entertainers and community pioneers who have died in 2026.
Jasen Kaplan
Jasen Kaplan, who appeared on LGBTQ+ dating show Finding Prince Charming, died on New Year’s Eve 2025 aged 46 in New York City. News of his death was confirmed on 1 January this year.
Kaplan worked as a makeup artist for celebrities including Cyndi Lauper, Eva Longoria and Kelly Osbourne. He appeared on the first and only season of the Bachelor-style gay dating show Finding Prince Charming, hosted by NSYNC star Lance Bass, in 2016. He was eliminated in week two.
Kaplan’s death was sadly ruled a suicide, with his injuries being “consistent with a fall from height”. Kaplan died less than three weeks after the death of his Finding Prince Charming co-star Chad Spodick, which was also ruled as suicide.
Lai Yuqing
Budding filmmaker Lai Yuqing, who made her feature film debut with queer Cambodian love story Whisperings of the Moon, died on 30 December “due to an incident” in Cambodia. The Chinese filmmaker was 23-years-old. Her death was announced in early January.
Yuqing, who used she and they pronouns according to her Instagram bio, had released short films including Two Suns and Love Is a Book in 2024. Nimbus Films and Inwave Films, which worked with Yuqing on Whisperings of the Moon, confirmed they would continue promoting the queer film following her death. It is set to play at London’s LGBTQ+ film festival BFI Flare in March.
Bret Hanna-Shuford
Broadway actor and social media influencer Bret Hanna-Shuford died on 3 January, his husband Stephen confirmed. He had been diagnosed with an immune condition and an aggressive form of cancer, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and T-Cell Lymphoma, last summer.
Bret Hanna-Shuford was known for his stage roles in hit shows including Wicked on Broadway, and musicals Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. He also appeared on TV in Law and Order: SVU and Only Murders in the Building.
He was perhaps best known for his Broadway Husbands social media accounts, which he shared with Stephen. They posted content of their lives together with their three-year-old son Maverick, and had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers.
Stephen remembered his husband as “the most amazing man, husband and Papa in the universe”.
Valentino
Legendary Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known mononymously as Valentino, died aged 93 in January.
Valentino founded his eponymous luxury fashion company in 1960 in Rome with his business and personal associate Giancarlo Giammetti. The brand became known as one of the world’s most successful fashion houses, dressing celebrities including Princess Diana, Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor.
At his funeral in late January, Valentino’s life partner Bruce Hoeksema paid tribute to the fashion powerhouse, saying: “Valentino, you were the person I spoke to, not the person I spoke about. You were beside me when words were not needed. Life was not always perfect, but it was real.
“One day at a time, for more than 40 years, all strung together, became extraordinary because we were living them together. This is what I’ll miss about you most,” he added.
Gabe Lopez
American pop singer-songwriter Gabe Lopez was known for writing and producing songs for artists including Belinda Carlisle, New Kids on the Block and the The Go-Go’s. Later in his career, he became a member of the RuPaul’s Drag Race family, writing and producing songs for the show including Sasha Colby’s song “GODDESS” and “Before Dorothy” from the season 17’s Rusical, The Wicked Wiz of Oz. He also produced songs for RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE in Las Vegas.
He died in January aged 49 after being diagnosed with lymphoma. “Gabe was a unique combination of musical brilliance, kindness and sharp wit,” Drag Race production company World of Wonder said in a statement. “His impact on the world – through RuPaul’s Drag Race and beyond – is immeasurable. We mourn a great talent and an even greater friend. His melodies play on in all of us.”
Boom Balenciaga
Ballroom performer Kirk Pressley, known as The House of Balenciaga member Boom Balenciaga, died in January at the age of 36.
The House of Balenciaga announced the news “with great sadness, shock and disbelief” in a statement from the House’s founding father Harold Balenciaga. “We will all miss the light spirit and good vibes he would bring to any room,” the statement read.
As Boom Balenciaga, Pressley was known as a legend in the ballroom performance scene, as well as for his work in public health services where he provided support for queer people in communities of colour, as per Them.
In 2023, he went viral for his appearance in a promotional ad for Rihanna’s Apple Music Super Bowl Half Time show. He opened the ad performing a freestyle verse, before joining other ballroom members to perform in a Rihanna-inspired ball. Boom Balenciaga commentated the clip, which was set to the pop star’s 2016 song “Pose”. In 2025, he appeared in queer Netflix show Survival of the Thickest.
Kim Vō
Celebrity hairstylist Kim Vō, known for his work with celebrities including Gwenyth Paltrow and Paris Hilton, died in January at the age of 55. He had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2018. “My beloved husband, best friend, partner in life & business, Kim Vo, has taken his final breath,” his husband Adeel Khan wrote in a post on Instagram following his death. “Ultimately, God decided it was time for our angel on earth to return home.”
Francine Beppu
Francine Beppu was best known for appearing on Showtime’s The L Word-inspired reality series The Real L Word in 2011. She went on to work in LGBTQ+ rights and equality in Honolulu, Hawaii where she lived, supporting Honolulu Pride and being on the board of directors at the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation.
Beppu died at home in Honolulu on 17 February, her family confirmed in a moving statement. No cause of death has been revealed. She was 43 years old.
Maxi Shield
Legendary Australian drag performer Maxi Shield died in Sydney on 21 February, almost six months after being diagnosed with cancer. She was 51.
Maxi was a force in the Sydney drag scene, performing as part of the city’s Summer Olympics closing ceremony in 2000 and at the Gay Games’ opening ceremony in 2002. She appeared as a contestant on the inaugural season of Drag Race Down Under in 2021, coming in sixth place.
In September, Maxi confirmed that she had been diagnosed with cancer after being hospitalised while performing at Scotland’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Over the following months, she kept her fans updated on her health, and made her return to performing in drag in early February.
Martyn Butler OBE
Martyn Butler, who helped establish one of Britain’s leading HIV awareness and prevention charities, Terrence Higgins Trust, died on 21 February. He was 71. Butler set up Terrence Higgins Trust in 1982 following the death of his friend Terry Higgins, who became the first known person in the UK to die from an AIDS-related illness. Butler teamed up with Terry’s partner Ruper Whitaker to bring the organisation to life, and the charity has supported thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS in the years since.
He was given an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and his story formed part of Russell T Davies’ critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ drama It’s A Sin.
Jordan James Parke, aka the ‘Lip King’
Jordan James Parke, known as the ‘Lip King’ due to his numerous cosmetic procedures, was found dead at a hotel in Canary Wharf, London, on 18 February. He was 34.
The death of the Botched star is currently being treated as “unexplained” though the Metropolitan Police is currently “reviewing information that suggests the victim may have been undergoing a cosmetic procedure prior to his death”. Two people, a man and a woman, were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter on 20 February and have since been released on bail pending further investigation.
