David Raven, the man behind Maisie Trollette, the United Kingdom’s oldest performing drag queen, has died in Brighton, England. He was 91.

Trollette was a fixture on seaside Brighton’s drag scene for more than five decades, and a centerpiece of Brighton Pride from the first time it was held in 1973.

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Drag queen Scott Burey, a close friend of Raven who performed frequently with Trollette, told Metro, “The word ‘legend’ can be flippantly used at times, losing its connection to the remarkable and extraordinary. But David – and Maisie – were both remarkable and extraordinary. He was the epitome of a true drag artiste – not queen – ARTISTE!”

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“He was a kind, generous, giving, extremely funny man – on and off stage – with an incredibly mischievousness to his personality that never tainted or ebbed away as the years passed. I will truly miss him, and INCREDIBLY privileged to have been able to call him my friend,” Burey said.

Phillip Arran, better known as CC Swan in Brighton, spoke fondly of his fellow performer.

“Maisie (David) was so generous and helpful. I’d be invited up to sing and afterwards, given tips on mic technique. When I (some 6 years later) ventured into becoming CC Swan (and any time our paths crossed beyond that) Maisie/David always congratulated me on being true to who I was and what I could do – I’m hoping that meant being funny and singing well!”

“I used to love being at Maisie’s show in the old days,” Arran recalled, “when anything went and everyone knew the name and phone number of her B&B. This is truly a tragic loss to the community. RIP beautiful person.”

Raven was born in the depths of the Depression on England’s southern coast. His career as a drag performer began as a duo in “The Trollettes with Jimmy Court.”

For their 90th birthday, Raven and Trollette were feted with a gala event at the iconic Brighton Dome, with music from all nine decades of the pair’s lives.

London’s Royal Vauxhall Tavern, the site of many Maisie Trollette performances, described her as a “doyenne of drag” who had a “life well lived.”

“Rest easy, dear.”

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