“RuPaul’s Drag Race” star George Ward, best known by their stage name Cherry Valentine, died by suicide, an inquest has heard.
The performer’s death was announced in September by their family. Ward, who was non-binary and used they/them pronouns, was 28.
The inquest heard that Ward was found dead by a friend, identified as “Kate” in Hornsey, North London.
Ward found fame after landing a spot in the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” — the British version of the hit US show.
After putting their name on the map, Ward went on to launch a TV career and even had their own BBC documentary titled “Gypsy Queen and Proud.”
Ward had reportedly been “struggling” to deal with fame. Their sleeping patterns were subsequently affected and they suffered with depression before their death.
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“[Kate] stated that they seemed normal but recently noticed that they had been sleeping late and getting up late,” the post-mortem report reads, according to The Sun.
“The subject was a successful drag queen, and [their friend] believes they had been struggling with their rise to fame after being on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’
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“[Kate] also said [Ward]’s ex-partner had recently got engaged. [The friends] would regularly chat about their struggles, but [Kate] believed that Ward’s extravagant behavior was a mask.”
“[Ward] previously suffered from depression… this is something they have battled with,” the report read in part.
The inquest heard that Ward left three pages of notes in his bedroom to Kate, his family, and others.
“It is with the most heart-wrenching and deepest sadness to inform you that our George — Cherry Valentine — has tragically passed away,” Ward’s heartbroken family said in a statement as they announced their death in September, according to the BBC.
“This will come as a profound shock to most people and we understand there is no easy way for this to be announced. As his family, we are still processing his death and our lives will never be the same.”
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Ward worked as a qualified mental health nurse in 2015 before falling in love with drag.
In December 2020, Ward became one of the 12 contestants taking part in “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.”
Ward’s drag persona also saw them perform with the likes of Charli XCX, with whom they appeared in a music video.
