ATLANTA - The legendary Atlanta drag queen, Mr. Charlie Brown, has died, according to Atlanta Pride and other sources. He was 74 years old.
According to a Facebook post on March 8, Brown, whose real name is Charles Dillard, was in the ICU at a local hospital. It appears the performer developed an infection after heart surgery earlier this year.
Brown was a pioneer in the Atlanta drag scene, hosting and performing at multiple venues during his career, including his namesake -- Charlie Brown's Cabaret -- from 1990 to 2004, and Lips Atlanta.
Brown was the grand marshal of the 2000 Atlanta Pride Festival and a longtime highlight of the Atlanta Pride's Starlight Cabaret.
Mr. Charlie Brown was also featured in multiple documentaries on HBO, VH1, and TBS.
Brown, who was also known as the "Bitch of the South," grew up in Westmoreland, Tennessee, and said he always knew he was gay. After graduating from high school, he joined the Air Force and made his way to North Carolina. When he moved to Nashville, he discovered bars and parks where gay culture flourished. It was in Nashville that he first performed in drag.
He met his partner, Fred Wise, in 1976, and they moved to Atlanta in 1978. Two years later, he was crowned Ms. Gay Georgia. By 1990, Mr. Charlie Brown had become an Atlanta legend, and Charlie Brown's Cabaret was born.
The club was featured in HBO's documentary, "Drag Time," in 1997. After the club closed in 2004, he worked for Blake's on the Park and then for Lips Atlanta.
Tributes have been pouring in on social media.