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Judy Tenuta, Comedian and LGBTQ+ Ally, Dead at 72

Judy Tenuta
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The quirky, over-the-top comic appeared at LGBTQ+ events and became a minister so she could perform same-sex marriages.

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Judy Tenuta, a beloved comedian and ally to the LGBTQ+ community, has died at age 72.

Tenuta died Thursday in Los Angeles, Variety and other outlets report. The cause was ovarian cancer.

Tenuta was born in Oak Park, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, and was named for Judy Garland. After graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago, she became popular in Chicago comedy clubs in the 1970s and '80s. She had a quirky, over-the-top persona, and she used such monikers as "The Petite Flower," "Fashion-Plate Saint," "Queen of Candy-Pants," "Princess of Panty Shields," "Empress of Elvis Impersonators," "The Love Goddess," and "Aphrodite of the Accordion." She wore outrageous costumes and often used an accordion in her act.

Later, she was variously based Los Angeles and New York City, and she toured nationally. She appeared in several television comedy specials, including Women of the Night with Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone, and Rita Rudner on HBO in 1987. She frequently performed with Weird Al Yankovic, who paid tribute to her on Twitter.

She was in numerous films, such as Butch Camp (1996), Desperation Boulevard (1998), Material Girls (2006), and Sister Mary (2011), the latter with Bruce Vilanch. She acted onstage in The Vagina Monologues and Menopause the Musical in both Los Angeles and Chicago. She was nominated for Grammys for her comedy albums Attention Butt-Pirates and Lesbetarians! and In Goddess We Trust. She wrote two books, Full Frontal Tenudity and The Power of Judyism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she recorded a video titled Kicking Cancer's Ass.

Tenuta had many fans in the LGBTQ+ community and was a major supporter of LGBTQ+ equality. She performed in gay bars, served as grand marshal in Pride parades, and performed at fundraisers for queer organizations. She was ordained as a minister so she could officiate same-sex marriages.

Survivors include her life partner, Vern Pang, five brothers, and a sister.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.