Jiggly Caliente, who wowed followers on RuPaul’s Drag Race and past, has died. She was 44 years previous.
“It’s with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Bianca Castro-Arabejo, identified to the world and cherished by many as Jiggly Caliente,” the drag performer’s household mentioned in an Instagram assertion. “Bianca handed away peacefully on April 27, 2025, at 4:42 am, surrounded by her loving household and shut associates.”
Caliente’s members of the family didn’t present a explanation for demise, however they advised Instagram followers on Thursday, April 24, that Caliente was within the hospital after struggling a extreme an infection that resulted within the lack of most of her proper leg.
“A luminous presence within the worlds of leisure and advocacy, Jiggly Caliente was celebrated for her infectious vitality, fierce wit, and unwavering authenticity,” her household mentioned of their new assertion. “She touched numerous lives by her artistry, activism, and the real connection she fostered with followers around the globe. Her legacy is one among love, braveness, and light-weight.”
Caliente, a Filipino-American artist who publicly got here out as trans in 2016, positioned eighth in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 4 in 2012 and twelfth in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2021. In 2022, she turned a resident choose on Drag Race Philippines.
The drag queen additionally joined different Drag Race alums within the 2020 OUTtv discuss present Translation. In a behind-the-scenes interview, Caliente described Translation as “a present that discuss[s] about matters of trans lives by trans ladies of various walks of life that share a standard bond by strolling by magical pink doorways.”
In one other notable display screen credit score, Caliente performed clothes retailer proprietor and drag performer Veronica Ferocity on the FX collection Pose.
“Although her bodily presence is gone, the enjoyment she shared and the area she helped create for thus many will stay eternally,” Caliente’s household mentioned of their new assertion. “She shall be deeply missed, all the time cherished, and eternally remembered. In Loving Reminiscence of Bianca Castro-Arabejo (Jiggly Caliente), November 29, 1980 – April 27, 2025.”