Pussy funeral announced
The funeral service for well-know drag queen Pussy Willow (Shah Gopal Whybrow, pictured right) will be held on Monday, July 30, at Wilson Chapel, Springvale Crematorium at 2.15pm.
Willow died on Sunday, July 8.
The performer was a regular at the Friday Night Project at the GH Hotel and one of the longest performing drag MCs in Melbourne. She also performed at nightclub Love Machine on Sundays.
She was renowned for her quick wit and love of Broadway show tunes.
“Being gay or straight was never an issue. There was never a closet for me to come out of, I was just – me. I think I was predestined to become a drag queen,” Willow said in a past interview.
Willow was known to audiences at former nighclubs the Xchange and Diva Bar, and at the Peel Hotel.
She admired and worked with local drag identities Paris, Kerrie Le Gore and Tabitha Turlington.
Melbourne drag icon and close friend Paris said Willow had a quick wit and was a wonderful entertainer.
“She’s been a big part of Melbourne since she started and what she did was unique,” Paris said.
“She didn’t rely on diamante and feather, she just relied on her own humour and wit.”
Photo: Alan Mayberry
