One of Australia’s best-known and loved drag queens, Sydney’s Maxi Shield, has died following a diagnosis with throat cancer, prompting tributes from around the world.

Kristopher Elliot, who performed drag under the name Maxi Shield, was 51. She was a mainstay of the Sydney drag scene, and brought Australian drag to the world as contestant in season one of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under.

Shield revealed she had been diagnosed with throat cancer in September last year, forcing her to step down from performing in a Kath & Kim show at Edinburgh Fringe last year with fellow Drag Race Down Under season 1 alum Art Simone.

Shield had recently returned to performing at the Oxford Hotel and Palms on the gay strip of Oxford Street in Sydney earlier this month, and was set to host a sold-out Mardi Gras viewing party at the Oxford Hotel on Saturday.

“I loved this queen. A glorious human on the inside and out. Your love, heart, talent and energy will be missed…. @maxishield rest in power, my angel, you were truly one of a kind,” Down Under host Michelle Visage posted on Instagram.

Mardi Gras said in a Facebook post that the news was devastating.

“They were an icon and pillar of our community and we would like to take a moment to recognise all that Maxi stood for.”

“This Mardi Gras will feel undeniably different with a space and light shining in her honour.”

Dillon Shaw, the licensee for Universal club on Oxford St said in a Facebook post that Shield was an iconic presence who worked across every queer venue in Sydney

“This Mardi Gras will feel different. It will be more solemn, as so many of us gather carrying the space left by her smile, her quick wit, and her remarkable spirit,” Shaw said.

“Maxi was a big personality with a heart of gold. I’m heartbroken that the world won’t get to see this legend light up a stage again, and that I won’t get to share another giggle over lunch with my friend.”

Simone said the news was heartbreaking.

“You were an inspiration, a warm heart, a cheeky girl and an absolute drag legend,” Simone said in an Instagram post. “I’m just fortunate I got to call you a sister and share so many special moments with you.”

Shield appeared in the closing of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and at a time when there was conservative pushback against drag queen storytime events, Shield continued to hold them during Mardi Gras.

“They ask ‘how come you’ve got a dress on?’ and we say ‘we like it and we like to sparkle’. And then there’s no prejudice, they say ‘OK, can I have a balloon?’,” she told SBS News in 2023.