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Sahara Davenport

American drag queen (1984–2012)

Summary

American drag queen (1984–2012)

FieldValue
imageSahara Davenport.jpg
captionDavenport in 2009
birth_nameAntoine Ashley
birth_date
birth_placeDallas, Texas, U.S.
death_date
death_placeBaltimore, Maryland, U.S.
educationSouthern Methodist University (BFA)
partnerManila Luzon (2006–2012; Ashley's death)
occupationDrag queen, dancer, make-up artist

Antoine Ashley (December 17, 1984 – October 1, 2012), better known by the name Sahara Davenport, was an American drag queen, singer, reality television personality, and classically trained dancer. Davenport was best known as a contestant on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

''RuPaul's Drag Race''

Davenport appeared on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2010. She was pegged as "the dancer" when in the first episode she had to "lip-sync for her life" against Shangela, her former classmate at Southern Methodist University (where she earned a BFA in dance at the Meadows School of the Arts). In the second episode, Davenport became a team leader when she and Pandora Boxx won the mini challenge. Sahara won the second episode elimination challenge by leading her team to earn the most money by pole dancing and selling Cherry Pie gift certificates on the streets of Los Angeles. In the fourth episode, Davenport gave a humorous impersonation of Whitney Houston in the "Snatch Game" challenge. In the Wedding Dress episode, she was placed in the bottom two again, but remained safe with her lip sync performance to Martha Wash's "Carry On". Sahara was eliminated in the sixth episode for not conveying enough of a "rock 'n' roll" attitude and being too much of a lady. The first season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars aired following her death, and featured her partner, Manila Luzon, as a contestant. The first episode was dedicated to her memory.

Davenport's drag sister Kennedy Davenport appeared on season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race and on season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, where she placed as runner-up. Her drag niece, Honey Davenport, placed 13th on the 11th season of Drag Race.

Music

In 2011, Davenport released her second single "Go Off". A remix EP was later released on January 31, 2012, and featured a remix by Manny Lehman. "Go Off" debuted at number fifty on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs, before peaking at number thirty five. The music video for "Go Off" features cameos by Drag Race contestants Manila Luzon and Jiggly Caliente.

Personal life and death

Davenport was born to Angela Ashley Reddish on December 17, 1984. Sahara Davenport resided in New York City with her boyfriend Karl Westerberg, a fellow drag queen who goes by the stage name Manila Luzon and who was a contestant on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

During her time on RuPaul's Drag Race, Davenport discussed her use of "designer drugs", such as ketamine, and how her drag mother had to help her out of her addiction. Davenport died of heart failure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on October 1, 2012, at age 27.

Discography

Singles

TitleYearPeak Chart PositionU.S. Dance
"Pump with Me"2010–
"Go Off"201135

References

References

  1. Molloy, Tim. (2 October 2012). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Sahara Davenport Dies". Yahoo!.
  2. Anderson, Wayne. (18 December 2012). "An Emotional Memorial Tribute to Sahara Davenport (PHOTOS)".
  3. LOGO On-line. http://www.logotv.com/shows/rupauls_drag_race/season_2/series.jhtml# {{Webarchive. link. (23 March 2011 !)
  4. [https://www.dallasobserver.com/arts/local-star-of-rupauls-drag-race-sahara-davenport-is-reported-dead-7083842 Dallas Observer – Local Star of RuPaul's Drag Race, Sahara Davenport, Is Reported Dead]
  5. Lawson, Richard. Gawker. http://gawker.com/5462382/rupauls-drag-race-wigs-in-the-wind
  6. "RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 Episode 2 - Starrbootylicious | TheCelebrityCafe.com".
  7. "RuPaul's Drag Race: Snatch Game : Poptimal.com: Pop-Culture Reviews from People Like You".
  8. Jacob D. Reality TV Calendar. http://www.realitytvcalendar.com/shows/rpdr2/recaps/ep05-p1.html
  9. Benet, Bebe Zahara. Metro Star News. http://www.metrostarnews.com/MetroStar-Rupaul-Drag-Race-Sahara-Davenport%20_week-6.html
  10. Kaplan, Don. (2012-10-13). "RuPaul will crown an all-star queen in new season of 'Drag Race'". [[New York Daily News.
  11. Biese, Alex. (2019-03-08). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11: Honey Davenport, Ariel Versace serving New Jersey realness". [[USA Today]].
  12. (31 January 2012). "iTunes - Music - Go Off (The Remixes) by Gomi & Sahara Davenport". [[Apple Inc.]].
  13. Spargo, Chris. (29 March 2012). "Sahara Davenport Scores First Billboard Hit". [[NewNowNext Awards.
  14. "Club Music, Hot Dance Songs, Club Songs, Dance Club Music Charts".
  15. (17 November 2011). "NEW VIDEO: Sahara Davenport & Manila Luzon". [[NewNowNext Awards.
  16. Anderson, Wayne. (December 18, 2021). "An Emotional Memorial Tribute to Sahara Davenport (PHOTOS)". BuzzFeed Inc..
  17. "Sahara Davenport | Next Magazine".
  18. "A reminder to the FIERCE Sahara Davenport. Today, 4 Years ago, she sadly pass... {{!}} Rebrn.com".
  19. Spargo, Chris. "Sahara Davenport's Family Releases Official Statement". NewNowNext.
  20. (2010-11-30). "Pump With Me - Single by Sahara Davenport".
  21. (2011-07-26). "Go Off! - Single by Gomi & Sahara Davenport".
  22. "Sahara Davenport Scores First Billboard Hit". LOGO News.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1984-births 2012-deaths 20th-century-american-lgbtq-people 21st-century-american-lgbtq-people african-american-dancers african-american-drag-queens african-american-lgbtq-people african-american-male-dancers african-american-male-singers american-drag-queens american-gay-actors american-gay-musicians american-lgbtq-singers american-male-dancers american-male-pop-singers drag-performers-from-new-york-city lgbtq-people-from-texas male-actors-from-dallas musicians-from-dallas nightlife-in-new-york-city rupaul's-drag-race-contestants drag-performers-from-dallas drag-performers-from-maryland
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