RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star George Ward Passed Away
The life of George Ward, as Cherry Valentine on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, was cut tragically short on September 18. He was 28. There has been no disclosure of the cause of death.
The death of Ward’s son, Cherry Valentine, was announced “with the most heart breaking and deepest grief,” according to a statement sent by his parents. “We realize there is no simple way to make this announcement, and we know this will be a severe shock to the majority of people.
Their lives “will never be the same,” they said, adding that the family was still coming to terms with his loss. We know how many people he has influenced and how many lives he has changed. We just ask for your prayers and understanding at this difficult time.
“We are sorry to learn of the demise of George Ward, as known as Cherry Valentine,” World of Wonder, the show’s production company, said in a separate statement. Cherry, the artist, the nurse, and the activist, will forever be a part of the Drag Race family. Countless people felt the effects of Cherry’s affection and contagious humor. Our hearts are broken for her loved ones.
Valentine competed in the second season of the British version of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but was booted out in the second episode of that season.
Who was George Ward (Cherry Valentine)
Cherry Valentine, born George Ward (30 November 1993–18 September 2022) in England, was a drag performer. His most notable works are the BBC documentary Cherry Valentine: Gypsy Queen and Proud and his appearance on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
In 2018, Ward started adopting the stage name Cherry Valentine and performed as a drag queen. In 2015, he completed his training to become a mental health nurse for the National Health Service (NHS), and he has since assisted in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the United Kingdom.
In an interview for the show, Cherry Valentine, a nurse, said that her profession “has put me in that right position where I’m able to understand people a bit more, and if you’re a drag queen, you’re working with people. By understanding people, you’re going the extra mile.” Valentine was one of twelve contestants announced in December 2020 for the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. After being eliminated in the second episode’s bottom two, Cherry Valentine placed twelfth overall. Lip syncing to Elaine Paige’s “Memory” from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats (1981), she lost to competitor Tayce and was eliminated.
Cherry Valentine mentioned going back to work at the NHS to help with coronavirus relief efforts and the vaccine deployment in the Queens on Lockdown episode that looked at the competitors’ lives during the COVID-19 epidemic. Veronica Green withdrew from the competition after testing positive for COVID, and she and Joe Black and Asttina Mandella were re-invited to compete in the fifth episode (the first to be taped following the lockdown) of “The RuRuvision Song Contest.” Cherry Valentine was ultimately not brought back because the remaining candidates opted to have Joe Black come back instead. Her last performance on the show was in the season finale, where she and the other eliminated competitors all gathered for one last show.
Cherry Valentine, along with the rest of the cast of Season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, set off on the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK: The Official Tour in February 2022, presented by World of Wonder and Voss Events.
Source: tvline.com
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