Who Was Drag Race Star, Maxi Shield? Passed Away At 51, Months After Devastating Cancer Diagnosis

RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, Maxi Shield, passed away at the age of 51. The unfortunate news has come five months after the drag race star had announced her cancer diagnosis. The TV star had previously starred in the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

The Australian version of the much-loved show, in 2021. The news of their passing has left fans devastated. As the world mourns the loss, let’s take a look at their journey.

Who was Maxi Shield?

Maxi Shield, born as Kristopher Elliot, hailed from Ballina, New South Wales. She was born on June 1, 1974. While little is known about their early life, Maxi rose to fame in the drag world for their unique style and persona. Their demise has left the drag world heartbroken, so let’s take a look at their journey in the industry and how it changed their life.

Maxi Shield’s rise in the drag world

Maxi Shield first rose to prominence with their performance at the 2000 Olympic Games, closing ceremony and two years later, returned to the opening ceremony of the Gay Games 2002. However, their true rise came with their participation in the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under. She even impersonated ‘Magda Szubanski’ during the Snatch Game challenge. However, she was eliminated from the competition after she ended up in the bottom two of the make-over challenge and then lost the lip-sync battle against Scarlet Adams.

Maxi Shield also appeared several times at RuPaul’s DragCon UK after competing on Drag Race. In 2020, she and her fellow Drag Race contestant, Hannah Conda, attempted to set a new world record for the largest Drag Queen Story Time event at Oxtravaganza. Three years later, Maxi even made her on-screen debut with the film, The Winner Takes It All, where she essayed the role of ‘Maxine Fowler’.

Maxi Shield experienced domestic a**se as a child

Maxi Shield was a ray of sunshine to everyone around her. However, when it came to her own life, it was tainted with pain and struggle. To raise awareness, she participated in the We’re Better Than That campaign to prevent domestic violence. A cause that was extremely close to her, given her own history and experience with domestic violence as a child. Her personal experience of domestic violence as a child was that, “It only took one voice to say, ‘Hold on, that’s not right,’ to make a change.”

For the unversed, We’re Better Than That is a cause funded by the Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network and supported by Randwick, Waverley, Bayside, and Woollahra councils. In the campaign, Maxi Shield shared that she and her sister had been “severely beaten and ab**ed” by their mother’s partner when they were growing up. The well-known drag queen urged the men to do or say something when they see domestic v**lence or a**se. She was quoted as saying:

“It was our family who helped us through. And one of my messages to children or young people living through this: there are people out there. You can reach out there; you can survive. They do hear absolutely everything, a little more [than people think]. My sister and I had thought we were by ourselves, but it wasn’t until we started talking to people…that things started changing. It only takes one voice to say that’s not right.”

Maxi Shield’s battle with cancer

In September 2025, Maxi Shield made the unfortunate announcement that left everyone heartbroken. The RuPaul’s Drag star shared that she had been diagnosed with throat cancer and was receiving treatment for the same. The announcement came after she was forced to cancel her appearance with Art Simone in Fountain Lakes in Lockdown: A Drag Parody Play, a camp send-up of Kath & Kim. The drag star was hospitalised soon after, and later she explained that the issue was caused by glaucoma pressing on her blood vessel. She later shared the news with her fans and was quoted as saying:

“This little swollen thing on the side of my throat is cancer. I had tests yesterday, and [saw] specialists. This little swollen thing on the side of my throat is cancer. They’re working out a plan for me at this stage. I’m going to the hospital this afternoon, and I’m going to have lots of steroids, so hopefully they work. They’re just worried that my throat is swelling, so hopefully we’ll get that down as well as the tumour size a little bit. The love is incredible. Thank you so much.”

Maxi Shield passes away at the age of 51

Unfortunately, just five months after the diagnosis, the drag star took her last breath on February 21, 2026 (ET). Wigs By Vanity confirmed the tragic news on Instagram on February 23, 2026 (ET) and penned a heartfelt note for Maxi. The post could be read as:

“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that we share the news that our dearest sister, Maxine, has passed away. We are all mourning the loss of an incredible icon, friend, and our beloved sister. Thank you for the laughs, the cackles, and the magic you brought into our lives. I will cherish every second of our 30-year friendship, and I’m so grateful to have been part of your chosen family. You will be forever loved and deeply missed. I love you, old girl.”

What are your thoughts on the life of Maxi Shield? Let us know.

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