Valerie Hill
Age 4812 Jul 1995
Akron, Ohio (USA)
Shot
TDoR list ref: tdor.info/12 Jul 1995/Valerie Hill
Valerie was a well-known drag queen and AIDS activist, and the winner of Miss Gay Akron 1978. She died after being shot in the abdomen by Edward Blazeff - who then turned the gun on himself.
For days, fans have been leaving flowers and notes at the door, mourning the loss of Akron's best-known drag queen and AIDS activist. Slowly, as friends prepare for the funeral tomorrow, the realization sinks in: Valerie Hill, the soul of the gay community, is dead, apparently shot to death by a lover of 18 years, Edward Blazeff.
The bodies of Blazeff, 34, and Hill, 48, were found in the bedroom of their North Akron home Wednesday. Although a final ruling has not been made by the coroner, evidence indicates that Blazeff shot Hill in the abdomen with a shotgun, then turned the gun on himself.
There were no notes, no witnesses. Friends say the beginning of the end may have been an attic fire in June that destroyed Hill's wardrobe. Blazeff, an ex convict, was afraid he would be the chief suspect in the fire and had vowed that he would never go to prison again.
On the death certificate, Hill will be identified as a man named [deadname]. But unlike many female impersonators who dress only for the stage, Hill lived full time as a woman for decades. Even neighbors refer to Hill as "she" without any hint of irony.
https://ourcommunityroots.com/?p=83854
https://abj.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-murder-of-trans/124564841/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10_JeZ7LEIRhvewTCoL5mVkH6MQJzf7fSXl4-P6QJ0v0/edit#gid=0
