International Chrysis

International Chrysis
Born1951
New York City, US
Died26 March 1990(1990-03-26) (aged 38–39)
New York City, US
OccupationsDrag queen, actress, muse

International Chrysis (1951 – 26 March 1990) was an American transgender entertainer and protégé of Salvador Dalí. She also played the damsel in distress in the music video for Van Halen's version of "(Oh) Pretty Woman".

Life and career

International Chrysis was a member of the Hot Peaches troupe and appeared briefly in the 1968 documentary The Queen. She toured drag supper clubs in the 1970s and moved her show to nightclubs in the 1980s, performing her revues Jesus Chrysis Superstar and The Last Temptation of Chrysis. She appeared in the 1990 film Q&A shortly before her death. A documentary about her life entitled Split: Portrait of a Drag Queen was released posthumously. Dead or Alive briefly recorded under the name "International Chrysis" in her honor.

Death

Chrysis was receiving "substandard transgender healthcare" early in her transition. To receive breast augmentation, she was injected with a wax that hardened into painful lumps and that eventually seeped into her bloodstream. That seepage contributed to a fatal case of cancer in her lungs, liver, and breasts. She died on March 26, 1990.

References

  1. ↑ Senelick, Laurence (2000). The changing room: sex, drag and theatre. Routledge ISBN 978-0-415-15986-9
  2. ↑ "THIS WEEK; Identity Crisis". NY Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
  3. ↑ "Van Halen: (Oh) Pretty Woman (Video 1981) - IMDb". IMDb.
  4. ↑ "Obituary - International Chrysis". Variety Archive. 1990-05-02. Retrieved 2026-08-09.
  5. ↑ Staff report (8 May 1990). International Chrysis obituary. The Advocate
  6. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (3 September 1993). "Review/Film; Life and Death at the Edge: The Story of a Drag Queen". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Weeks, Andrew and Ellen Fisher Turk (1993) Split: William to Chrysis Water Bearer Films
  8. ↑ Burston P (7 April 1993). Art imitates life. Time Out
  9. ↑ Tourmaline (2025). "Chapter 6: Marsha, the AIDS Care Worker". Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson. New York: Tiny Reparations Books. ISBN 978-0-59318-568-1.