Alexis Arquette, a member of Hollywood's prominent Arquette family, died on Sunday at age 47, her siblings Rosanna, Patricia, David, and Richmond said in a statement. They did not give a cause of death. Alexis, born Robert, announced that she was a transgender woman in 2006, and underwent sex reassignment surgery. "Alexis was a brilliant artist and painter, a singer, an entertainer, and an actor," her siblings said. "Her career was cut short, not by her passing, but by her decision to live her truth and her life as a transgender woman. Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical. She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people."
Earlier in her career, Alexis Arquette was in films including Last Exit to Brooklyn, Of Mice and Men, and Pulp Fiction, but she was perhaps best known for her role as George in The Wedding Singer (1998), playing a character inspired by Boy George. "R.I.P my sister Alexis Arquette. Another bright light gone out far too soon," Boy George tweeted, adding in a statement that "Alexis Arquette was a force of nature" whose portrayal of him in The Wedding Singer "had me rolling on the floor with laughter."
After Bruce Jenner transitioned into Caitlyn Jenner in 2015, according to David Arquette, Alexis said she was "gender suspicious" and would sometimes feel like both and man and woman. She died, her siblings said, "surrounded by love" with David Bowie's "Starman" playing. The family asked fans to donate to an organization that supports the LGBTQ community. Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
