Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Sahara Davenport Dead at 27

A contestant from RUPAUL's DRAG RACE that once appeared on ONE LIFE TO LIVE is dead at the age of 27. Antoine Ashley, best known as Sahara Davenport, was among 11 other contestants on the second season of the hit show in 2010.

The Logo Network shared their condolences to the contestant with a Facebook post.

"Logo is profoundly saddened by the passing of Antoine Ashley who fans around the world knew and loved as Sahara Davenport. He was an amazing artist and entertainer who'll be deeply missed by his Logo family. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, especially his boyfriend Karl, in their time of need."

Although Ashley was a contestant on the show, his talents went far beyond competing for the title of America's Next Drag Superstar.

According to PEOPLE magazine, Ashley was a classically trained dancer who began performing in drag shows while attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and earned his Bachelors in dance.

Ashley appeared in 15 Films About Madonna, Magnificent Obsession and ONE LIFE TO LIVE. He also released a single this year, "Go Off," which made it to No. 35 on the Billboards Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

RuPaul tweeted on Tuesday morning, "Shocked & heartbroken over @SaharaDavenport. Never occurred to me that we'd ever lose one of my girls. I see them as immortal."

Ashley's boyfriend, Karl Westerberg also tweeted on Sunday, "I love him so much."

The cause of the death of the 27-year-old is yet to be known, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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