Who was Stefan Grygelko aka Heklina ? Age and all about the popular Drag Queen as community pays tribute in wake of death 

Long-time drag artist Heklina has passed away. The artist was on tour with collaborator and friend Peaches Christ in London when she unexpectedly died. The duo arrived in the city several days ago and were preparing for their two-week engagement, which was expected to start on April 12. The entertainers were performing Mommie Queerest, a drag rendition of the 1981 cult-classic movie Mommie Dearest by Joan Crawford.

Making the news public, Peaches Christ, who is also known as Joshua Grannel, revealed on Facebook that her partner’s death was unexpected. Grannel added:

“I know this is shocking news and I am beyond stunned, but I wanted to let folks know what has happened. Heklina is not just my best friend, but a beloved icon in our community. I am a mess.”

The reason behind Heklina’s passing was not made public at the time of writing this article. She was 54 years old at the time of his death.

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What was Heklina’s real name?

Heklina’s real name was Stefan Grygelko. During her time in his mother’s-native Iceland, she named his drag character Heklina after the Icelandic volcano, Helka. She co-founded Trannyshack, a drag event series that is immensely popular in San Francisco. The festival went on to be rebranded as Mother.

Grygelko has acted in several theater productions and has also emceed various charity events. She acted in the short film Tans-ilogy of Terror, a queer hero spoof written and directed by Peaches Christ. She also starred in Baby Jane?

She is most likely known for her holiday recreation of The Golden Girls.

The drag icon has accumulated a number of accolades as well, including the 2004 San Francisco GLBTQ Pride Parade and the 2009 Pride Creative Award. She was also sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

Despite being incredibly famous in the San Francisco drag scene, she moved to Pal Springs in 2019. However, she did not stop performing in the former.

Grygelko's Oasis, a theater and cabaret nightclub, is also widely known. Its drag performances, cabarets and live musical acts are loved by many. The nightclub owner, D’Arcy Drollinger addressed the shocking passing. Drollinger said- “I am completely devastated by Heklina’s passing.”

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Friends of the Mommy Queerest actor pay tribute to the late star

Raya Light, a fixture on stage during Trannyshack's days, wrote online:

“Without Heklina, I don’t exist, and I know I stand at the back of a very very very long line of queens who can say the same thing.”

Justin Vivian Bond said:

“I thought she was death resistant… I can’t get my head around it.”

Friend of the drag artist, Monique Fauxnique took to Instagram to say:

Trannyshack co-star and employee Chuck Gutro paid tribute as well by saying:

Speaking about drag performers and how they have occupied mainstream entertainment, Grygelko said at Feast of Fools in 2006:

“It’s definitely not shocking anymore. So I don’t know if America’s really embraced it. The early 90s was when RePaul was becoming famous and it was the first time any drag queen had mainstream exposure.”

She went on to add that she does not see any drag queen becoming a cultural symbol in the same way.