| Miss Kiwi – Legendary Drag Performer | ||
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Born | Tony Rice October 18, 1963 Saint Louis, Missouri | |
| Died | July 22, 2007 (aged 43) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| Cause of death | Respiratory Failure complications | |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California, United States | |
| Ethnicity | African-American | |
| Occupation | Drag performer | |
| Years active | 1987 through 2007; | |
Miss Kiwi (born 18 October 1963) was the female persona of drag performer Tony Rice. A local fixture in Southern California’s drag circuit, Rice performed at several night clubs including the now defunct “Peanuts” , “Catch One” , and “Horizon”. She was also one of the 3 original performers in the longest running drag show in Los Angeles called Dreamgirls Revue. Chad Michaels was the host of this show up until 2012 when it was taken over by Delta Work (Gabriel Villarreal).
Background
Early life
Born as Tony Rice in Saint Louis, he was a cook on cruise ships in the south that allowed gambling. It is unknown if he had siblings and the parent information was not obtained. He relocated to Los Angeles, California in approximately 1987.
Career
As Miss Kiwi she performed regularly at drag shows in the following venues: “Peanuts” (7969 Santa Monica) now closed, “Catch 1” in south city of Los Angeles, also closed, and “Horizon” which was located in south city of Los Angeles as well. She performed regularly with more famous drag queens such as Morgan McMichaels, and Sutan Amrull as well as Delta Work (Gabriel Villarreal), the current producer of the long standing Dreamgirls Revue show held in West Hollywood, CA. She did private parties for celebrities such as Tori Spelling and others. She also went for a short time in the 90s to perform in Lake Tahoe. She was also often found at the Queen Mary (a drag club in Studio City that no longer exists) as well as the Boom Boom room which was located in Laguna Beach. Also really big in the club kid LA Vogue scene. She was a staple on the Los Angeles drag circuit for over two decades. She was one of three original Dreamgirls Revue cast that started in San Diego at Dillons which is now called Rich’s.
Personal Life
Starting in about 1997 for several years Miss Kiwi began surgical procedures to transition to a female. She basically was just a leader in the first over-the-top transsexual performers.
Death
Miss Kiwi died July 22 2007 of complications from Respiratory Failure. She attended all of the previous shows as performer at “Dreamgirls Revue” before her death and actually the last show one week before her death. She is interned in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.