Chi Chi DeVayne
Born Name: Zavion Davenport
Date of Birth: September 24, 1985
Place of Birth: Shreveport, Louisiana, United States
Died: August 20, 2020 (aged 34), Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.
Nationality: American
Occupation: Drag queen
Known for: RuPaul's Drag Race (season 8)
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 3)
Website: chichidevayne.com
Zavion Davenport (September 24, 1985 – August 20, 2020), better known by the stage name Chi Chi DeVayne, was an American drag queen and reality television personality who came to international attention on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. Following her time on the show, DeVayne was featured on several web series about drag. She was diagnosed with scleroderma in 2018, and two years later, she died following a bout of pneumonia she contracted after a hospital stay for scleroderma-related kidney failure.

Early life and career
Davenport was born on September 24, 1985. He grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. He said of his childhood, "I was always a little performer. My uncle used to stage talent shows with all us cousins, and my mom saw something in me. She had me in gymnastics, and I was in a dance company in my twenties." Growing up, he had a "hard-knock life": he carried a gun, got into trouble, and joined gangs.

Prior to appearing on RuPaul's Drag Race, Davenport worked two nine-to-five jobs to support himself.

Drag
DeVayne took the first name Chi Chi from the film To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and the surname DeVayne from the DeVayne drag family of Shreveport. Her drag mothers are Kourtni DeVayne and Lady Phat Kat. DeVayne enjoyed using different shades of purple makeup.

DeVayne competed in the eighth season of Drag Race, which began airing on March 7, 2016. HuffPost's James Michael Nichols stated that "Chi Chi was the dark-horse this season, walking through the doors in the first episode in a dress literally made out of garbage bags." DeVayne made it to the top four but was eliminated before Kim Chi and Naomi Smalls; Bob the Drag Queen took the crown. DeVayne said of the experience: "It changed everything in my life. Everything has turned in a different direction. Before, I was just like, 'What's a good job that I could get here in town, working in a factory.' It's crazy."

She appeared on RuPaul's podcast RuPaul: What's the Tee with Michelle Visage in 2016. The next year, she was part of a holiday tour in November called A Drag Queen Christmas. In March 2018, DeVayne was a part of Max Emerson's Drag Babies series, which was hosted by Bob the Drag Queen. She served as a drag mentor alongside Peppermint and Shuga Cain. DeVayne was asked to come back to Drag Race for the third season of All Stars, which premiered on January 25, 2018. She was eliminated in the fourth episode, originally placing seventh. She ultimately finished eighth after Morgan McMichaels returned to the competition.

Illness and death
In 2018, Davenport was diagnosed with scleroderma. On July 17, 2020, he was rushed to the hospital for kidney failure related to scleroderma. Two days later, he posted an update on social media saying, "I let it go too long without going to the doctor and these are the consequences," as well as showing appreciation for the outpouring of support from fans and colleagues. He stated that he was undergoing dialysis treatment. Later that year, he was re-admitted into the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He died on August 20, 2020, at the age of 34.

News article is edited by: soni - 8-11-2021, 17:54