Sahara Davenport

Antoine Ashley (December 17, 1984[2] – October 1, 2012), better known by the name Sahara Davenport, was an American drag queen, singer, reality television personality, and classically trained dancer. Davenport was best known as a contestant on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race.[3]

Sahara Davenport
Born
Antoine Ashley

(1984-12-17)December 17, 1984
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 1, 2012(2012-10-01) (aged 27)[1]
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Resting placeSilver Spring, Maryland
OccupationDrag queen, dancer, make-up artist
Partner(s)Manila Luzon (2006–2012; Ashley's death)

RuPaul's Drag Race

Davenport appeared on the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2010. She was pegged as "the dancer" when in the first episode she had to "lip-sync for her life" against Shangela, her former classmate at Southern Methodist University (where she earned a BFA in dance at the Meadows School of the Arts).[4][5] In the second episode, Davenport became a team leader when she and Pandora Boxx won the mini challenge. Sahara won the second episode elimination challenge by leading her team to earn the most money by pole dancing and selling Cherry Pie gift certificates on the streets of Los Angeles.[6] In the fourth episode, Davenport gave a humorous impersonation of Whitney Houston in the "Snatch Game" challenge.[7] In the Wedding Dress episode, she was placed in the bottom two again, but remained safe with her lip sync performance to Martha Wash's "Carry On".[8] Sahara was eliminated in the sixth episode for not conveying enough of a "rock 'n' roll" attitude and being too much of a lady.[9] The first season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars aired following her death, and featured her partner, Manila Luzon, as a contestant. The first episode was dedicated to her memory. [10]

Davenport's drag sister Kennedy Davenport appeared on season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race and on season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, where she placed as runner-up. Her drag niece, Honey Davenport, placed 13th on the 11th season of Drag Race.[11]

Music

In 2011, Davenport released her second single "Go Off." A remix EP was later released on January 31, 2012, and featured a remix by Manny Lehman.[12] "Go Off" debuted at number fifty on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs,[13] before peaking at number thirty five.[14] The music video for "Go Off" features cameos by Drag Race contestants Manila Luzon and Jiggly Caliente.[15]

Personal life and death

Prior to her death, Davenport resided in New York City[16] with her boyfriend Karl Westerberg, a fellow drag queen who goes by the stage name Manila Luzon and who was a contestant on the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Davenport died of heart failure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on October 1, 2012 at age 27.[17] She was the first Drag Race contestant to have died. On the show, Davenport discussed her use of "designer drugs", such as ketamine, and how her drag mother had to help her out of her addiction.[18]

Discography

Singles
Title Year Peak Chart Position
U.S. Dance
"Pump with Me"[19] 2010 –
"Go Off"[20] 2011 35[21]

See also

References
  1. Molloy, Tim (2 October 2012). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Star Sahara Davenport Dies". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  2. Wayne; erson; years, ContributorEx-Army LGBT Rights Activist living in New York City for the last 25 (2012-12-18). "An Emotional Memorial Tribute To Sahara Davenport (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. Retrieved 2019-04-19.
  3. LOGO On-line. http://www.logotv.com/shows/rupauls_drag_race/season_2/series.jhtml#!
  4. Dallas Observer – Local Star of RuPaul's Drag Race, Sahara Davenport, Is Reported Dead
  5. Lawson, Richard. Gawker. http://gawker.com/5462382/rupauls-drag-race-wigs-in-the-wind
  6. Pascua , Michael. The Celebrity Cafe. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-05. Retrieved 2010-05-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. O'Wisdom, Pearl. poptimal.com. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-06-06. Retrieved 2010-05-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. Jacob D. Reality TV Calendar. http://www.realitytvcalendar.com/shows/rpdr2/recaps/ep05-p1.html
  9. Benet, Bebe Zahara. Metro Star News. http://www.metrostarnews.com/MetroStar-Rupaul-Drag-Race-Sahara-Davenport%20_week-6.html
  10. Kaplan, Don (2012-10-13). "RuPaul will crown an all-star queen in new season of 'Drag Race'". Daily News. Retrieved 2020-05-03.
  11. Biese, Alex (2019-03-08). "'RuPaul's Drag Race' Season 11: Honey Davenport, Ariel Versace serving New Jersey realness". USA Today. Archived from the original on 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  12. "iTunes - Music - Go Off (The Remixes) by Gomi & Sahara Davenport". iTunes. Apple Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  13. Spargo, Chris (29 March 2012). "Sahara Davenport Scores First Billboard Hit". New Now Next. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  14. "Club Music, Hot Dance Songs, Club Songs, Dance Club Music Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  15. "NEW VIDEO: Sahara Davenport & Manila Luzon". New Now Next. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  16. Avery, Dan. Next Magazine. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2010-05-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. Spargo, Chris. "Sahara Davenport's Family Releases Official Statement". NewNowNext. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  18. "A reminder to the FIERCE Sahara Davenport. Today, 4 Years ago, she sadly pass... | Rebrn.com". Rerbn. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
  19. Pump With Me - Single by Sahara Davenport, 2010-11-30, retrieved 2018-10-25
  20. Go Off! - Single by Gomi & Sahara Davenport, 2011-07-26, retrieved 2018-10-25
  21. "Sahara Davenport Scores First Billboard Hit". LOGO News. Retrieved 2018-10-25.
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