RuPaul and Michelle Visage have written heartfelt tributes to Drag Race UK star Cherry Valentine, who passed away aged 28.

George Ward, best known by his drag persona Cherry Valentine, died on 18 September.

His family announced his death on 23 September.

Fans and fellow Drag Race contestants flooded to Twitter to pay their respects.

Thousands of tributes have poured in for the star.

RuPaul, host of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, posted their condolences.

The drag icon wrote via Twitter: “So sad to hear. A bright star and a lovely person. Cherry Valentine Always in our hearts.”

Drag Race judge Michelle Visage wrote a touching statement on her Instagram.

It read: “Cherry, you beautiful soul. After watching your documentary my eyes were opened and I learned so much and I thank you for that, for teaching me. I hate that you had any doubts about who you were because to me you were perfect. I only wish you were here to teach me more. You were one of a kind with a laugh as big as your heart. This is truly heartbreaking. Rest peacefully, superstar.”

 

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Michelle also shared a tribute post from the Drag Race UK official Instagram onto her IG story, with a single red heart emoji.

Ward rose to fame after appearing on the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK before fronting the BBC documentary, Gypsy Queen and Proud.

Before getting into drag, Ward qualified as a mental health nurse – something he said “put me in that right position to be able to understand people a bit more” during his introductory video for the competition.

More information on remembering Cherry Valentine can be found here.