Maxi Shield, beloved Australian drag queen and Drag Race Down Under star, dies aged 51
Performer appeared in closing ceremony of 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and was a mainstay of city’s drag sceneFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne of Australia’s best-known and loved drag queens, Sydney’s Maxi...
<p>Performer appeared in closing ceremony of 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and was a mainstay of city’s drag scene</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/feb/24/mark-carney-one-nation-coalition-labor-poll-anthony-albanese-pauline-hanson-bondi-attack-royal-commission-antisemitism-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>One of Australia’s best-known and loved drag queens, Sydney’s Maxi Shield, has died after being diagnosed with throat cancer, prompting tributes from around the world.</p><p>Kristopher Elliot, who performed drag under the name Maxi Shield, was 51. Shield was a mainstay of the Sydney drag scene and brought Australian drag to the world as contestant in season one of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/24/australian-drag-queen-and-drag-race-down-under-star-maxi-shield-dies">Continue reading...</a>
Read the full article at:
The Guardian World →