Actress and trans activist Alexis has died, aged 47. Richmond first posted a statement using a masculine pronoun to describe his sister, who was born Robert Arquette, but later deleted it, and replaced it with a statement from Patricia Arquette on behalf of his family, using the feminine pronoun. Her experiences were documented in the film Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother. Arquette was a vocal supporter of transgender rights. They did not give a cause of death.
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Richmond Arquette wrote that Alexis was with brothers, sisters, a niece and “several other loved ones” at the end. She passed on into the next plane of existence surrounded by family and friends at midnight as David Bowie’s Starman dreamy setting.
The post continued: “As per his wishes, we cheered at the moment that he transitioned to another dimension”. In 1989, she stared in the film, Last Exit to Brooklyn, where she played a trans person. Alexis Arquette was an inspiration to many.
However, our hearts go out to David, Patricia, and the entire Arquette family at this time. I am feeling huge gratitude to have been afforded the luxury of sharing life with him/her, for learning from Alexis, for being given the gift of being able to love her/him and to be loved by him/her. “We know we were the lucky ones”. “We will love you always, Alexis”, said the Arquette siblings.
Her siblings also pointed out that she “refused” to play roles that were demeaning to trans people, and credited her as a “vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people“. Drew Pinksy during an interview on “Larry King Live” that she was born into “a pretty liberal family”.
The Arquettes, on the other hand, requested all her fans to send their donations to organizations supporting the LGBT community.
Tributes have been paid to the star, by singer Boy George, Courteney Cox, Emilie de Ravin, Mark Gatiss and Ellen Barkin.
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Following the news, Boy George tweeted his condolences to “my sister Alexis Arquette”. Another great talent is leaving us far too soon.
