Bianca Castro-Arabejo, a drag performer who became a fan-favorite on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as Jiggly Caliente, died Sunday. She was 44.
Castro-Arabejo died days after she was hospitalized with an infection that required the amputation of her right leg, her family said in a statement.
“Her legacy is one of love, courage, and light,” the family wrote on Instagram. “Though her physical presence is gone, the joy she shared and the space she helped create for so many will remain forever.”
A veteran drag performer in New York, Castro-Arabejo rose to nationwide fame on season four of “Drag Race.” She delighted viewers with her bubbly personality — she took her name from the Pokemon Jigglypuff — and glamorous looks.
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn
Jiggly Caliente speaks during a press conference advocating for LGBTQ+ rights on Capitol Hill on June 25, 2024. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for MoveOn)
Though she only finished in eighth place in her initial season, viewers loved Castro-Arabejo so much that she was invited back to “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” for its sixth season.
In addition to her “Drag Race” appearances, Castro-Arabejo also starred on the FX series “Pose.” In 2022, she was named as a judge for the spin-off “Drag Race Philippines.”
Born in Manila, Castro-Arabejo and her family moved to New York when she was young. However, her mother always encouraged her to honor her heritage.
“She really wanted me to remember where I come from,” Castro-Arabejo told Billboard in 2018. “She would say, ‘Just because you’re in America, this isn’t your culture. You’re Filipino.’”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.
Jiggly Caliente visits the Empire State Building with the cast of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 6 in June 2021. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Empire State Realty Trust, Inc.)
In addition to proudly representing her home country, Castro-Arabejo came out as trans in 2016. She said that when she starred on “Drag Race” the first time, she was in the middle of her transition but didn’t want it to become a major storyline.
However, her thoughts changed as she received more fan mail from people struggling with their gender identities.
“I wanted to let them know that you’re not the only person that feels like your lines are being blurred because of what your life is,” she told Billboard. “I can be myself, and my fans know the true Jiggly without it getting … shuffled around and made into something else. Or made a joke, or a gimmick. It’s not a gimmick, it’s my life.”
