The transgender activist and actress died surrounded by her family.
Family members of late actress Alexis Arquette have opened up about the transgender star and activist’s final moments.
Taking to Facebook, her brother, Richmond, broke the news that the 47-year-old had died.
Richmond said she was surrounded by her siblings and a niece as David Bowie’s “Starman” played.
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Richmond added: “[She] died as [she] lived, on [her] own terms. I am immensely grateful that it was fast and painless. It was an incredibly moving experience and I am humbled and grateful to have been able to have been with [her] as [she] began [her] journey onward.”
Alexis died early Sunday morning. The cause of death has not been announced, but reports said she had been stricken with a "lengthy illness."
“She fiercely lived her reality in a world where it is dangerous to be a trans person — a world largely unready to accept differences among human beings, and where there is still the ugliness of violence and hostility towards people that we may not understand," her Oscar-winning sister, Patricia, said in a statement.
Patricia added: "We are comforted by the fact that Alexis came into our family and was our brother and then our sister, and that she gave us so much love. We will love you always, Alexis. We know we were the lucky ones."
Alexis, one of 5, was a pioneer in transgender roles. In 1989, she stared in the film, Last Exit to Brooklyn, where she played a trans person. While she many roles in low budget independent films, she also appeared in Pulp Fiction, The Wedding Singer, Friends and Californication.
In 2007, she showcased her transition in the 2007 documentary, Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother, and was an advocate for transgender Americans.
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On his Facebook page, her brother, David, called her his “hero.”
David also took to Instagram to pay homage to his sister.
He wrote: “Never have I had the honor of knowing and loving a funnier more beautiful soul then my brother/sister Alexis. Thank you all for your kind words of love and support. I know Alexis loves all the wonderful reactions to his passing and will be in our hearts for eternity. In the end he chose to be called my brother again but I will remember him as a Butterfly of a spirit always. I love you and in his words 'Gracias!’”
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