Zavion Michael Davenport (September 24, 1985August 20, 2020), better known by the stage name Chi Chi DeVayne, was an American
drag queen
A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...
and
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
personality who came to international attention on the
eighth season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...
'' and on the
third season of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' is an American reality competition spin off edition of the original ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which is produced by World of Wonder, for Logo TV and later VH1. The show premiered on October 22, 2012, on Logo TV, b ...
''. DeVayne began her drag career in her native
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
, where she was known locally prior to her 2016 debut on ''Drag Race''. Following her time on the show, DeVayne embarked on a number of domestic and international tours, and she was featured on several web series about drag. Davenport was diagnosed with
scleroderma
Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas of ...
in 2018 and, two years later, he died following a bout of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
he contracted after a hospital stay for scleroderma-related
kidney failure
Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...
.
Early life and career
Zavion Michael Davenport was born on September 24, 1985, in
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
, to Alberteen Wyandon and Zan Davenport III. He had a sister, Brittany; a brother, DaRico Wyandon; and two half-brothers, Zachary and Zamien Willis.
As a child, Davenport took classes in
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
and in
West African
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Ma ...
and
modern dance
Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...
.
He described parts of his upbringing as rough: he carried a gun, got into trouble, and joined gangs.
In an interview on ''
RuPaul's Drag Race
''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...
'', he said, "Girl, I've seen people shot. I've smelled, like, the smell of brains. When I tell you I come from the streets, I'm not kidding."
Davenport attended
Fair Park High School
Fair Park Middle School is a former high school located at 3222 Greenwood Road in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S. The school was originally named Fair Park High School when it opened in 1928, and it was the second high school in the city. C.E. Byrd Hi ...
, where he was a
drum major in the marching band.
After graduating in 2003, he began performing in
drag on the local nightlife scene.
Prior to appearing on ''Drag Race'', Davenport worked two
nine-to-five jobs to support himself.
Drag
DeVayne's first name, Chi Chi, was inspired by the character Chi-Chi Rodriguez from ''
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar
''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar'' is a 1995 American road comedy film directed by Beeban Kidron and starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, and John Leguizamo as three New York City drag queens who embark on a road trip. Its t ...
'', and the surname DeVayne came from the DeVayne
drag family of Shreveport. Her drag mothers were Kourtni DeVayne and Lady Phat Kat.
DeVayne enjoyed using different shades of purple makeup.
In her early days as a drag entertainer, she was a regular performer at the Central Station nightclub in Shreveport, where she became known for her
backflip
An acrobatic flip is a sequence of body movements in which a person leaps into the air and then rotates one or more times while airborne. Acrobatic flips are performed in acro dance, free running, gymnastics, cheerleading, high jumping, tricki ...
s.
DeVayne competed on the
eighth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', which began airing on March 7, 2016.
''
HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''s James Michael Nichols said she "was the
dark horse
A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might.
Origin
Th ...
f theseason, walking through the doors in the first episode in a dress literally made out of garbage bags".
The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, "iconic in ''Drag Race'' history".
'' dubbed the performance one of the series' best lip syncs.
won the crown. DeVayne said of the experience: "It changed everything in my life. Everything has turned in a different direction. Before, I was just like, 'What's a good job that I could get here in town, working in a factory?'. It's crazy."
'' in 2016.
and she was subsequently a cast member of several international live shows featuring ''Drag Race'' contestants.
's series ''Drag Babies'', which was hosted by Bob the Drag Queen. She served as a drag mentor alongside
.
'', which premiered on January 25, 2018.
returned to the competition.
DeVayne credited her experience on ''Drag Race'' with helping her heal from some of the difficulties of her past.
Davenport was openly gay.