Jiggly Caliente: RuPaul’s Drag Race and Pose star dies aged 44

Drag star Bianca Castro-Arabejo, who performed as Jiggly Caliente, has died aged 44, her family has said.

The performer, who found fame on the fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, had part of her leg amputated on Thursday after suffering a “severe infection”.

Caliente had served as a judge on the show’s Philippines spin-off, and also appeared in the hit US TV series Pose.

Her family wrote in a statement on Instagram: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known to the world and cherished by many as Jiggly Caliente.”

They said she died in the early hours of Sunday morning “surrounded by her loving family and close friends”.

Caliente’s family paid tribute to her “infectious energy, fierce wit, and unwavering authenticity”, adding that she left a legacy of “love, courage and light”.

“She touched countless lives through her artistry, activism, and the genuine connection she fostered with fans around the world,” they said.

“Though her physical presence is gone, the joy she shared and the space she helped create for so many will remain forever.”

Fellow drag queens have left tributes to the Filipino-American performer online.

Laganja Estranja, who appeared on the sixth season of the US reality TV programme, said Caliente was a “kind, caring soul”.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Baga Chipz described Caliente as “one of the kindest, sweetest souls I’ve ever met”.

Cheryl The Queen, who also competed in the UK version of the show, wrote: “We will love you forever and always Jiggly.”

Tia Kofi, who won Drag Race UK versus the World, said Caliente was “someone I came to for advice, I looked up to, who gave me support when it was most needed and, I cannot lie, was always there for a good gossip!”

Born in the Philippines in 1980, Caliente moved to the Queens neighbourhood of New York City with her family when she was a child.

She quickly became a fan favourite on RuPaul’s Drag Race for her sense of humour and memorable interactions with other queens, when she appeared on the show in 2012.

In one particularly memorable moment, while arguing with Caliente, fellow contestant Lashauwn Beyond coined the catchphrase “this is not RuPaul’s Best Friend Race”, which has been frequently repeated in later series.

Caliente went on to embark on an acting career, appearing in episodes of sitcoms Broad City and Search Party.

She played the role of Veronica in the TV drama Pose, which chronicled New York’s LGBT ball culture in the 1980s and 90s.

Caliente, who publicly came out as transgender in 2016, later returned to the Drag Race universe, competing in the sixth series of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2021 and judging the spin-off show Drag Race Philippines for three series.

Prior to her death, the drag performer’s family had said on Thursday that she had suffered a “serious health setback” which led to the loss of “most of her right leg”.