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People have paid their respects to Britain's oldest working drag artist at their funeral today. David Raven, better known as Maisie Trollette, passed away aged 91 on March 12. A procession began outside Legends nightclub this morning , with hearses driving through Kemp Town to The Parish Church of St Mary where a funeral service was held.
Mourners were encouraged to wear bright clothes in memory of David's colourful life. David's alter ego Maisie started out as one half of the legendary "Trollettes" drag duo with fellow performer Jimmy Court. He performed for more than five decades and had been a fixture of Brighton Pride since 1973 when the event was first held in the city.
The Trollettes performed at historic LGBTQ+ London venues like The Black Cap and The Vauxhall Tavern. His fans included a variety of famous faces and even extended to royalty - with Princess Diana rumoured to have watched him perform as Maisie . David regularly starred in pantomimes with many A-list celebrities, whom he was proud to call his close friends.
In 2023, David celebrated his 90th birthday with a special birthday gala event - David at 90 - at the Brighton Dome. The show featured music from all nine decades of David’s life and was his last public performance..
