DIVINE~ SIMPLY~ DIVINE

TODAY~ 25 YEARS AGO we lost one of the most original~ iconic~ subversly talented persons the world will ever see....

Divine (October 19, 1945 – March 7, 1988), aka Glenn Milstead, was an American actor, disco singer and drag queen. A character actor who often performed female roles in both cinema and theater. Often associated with independent filmmaker John Waters, he starred in ten of Waters' films, usually in a lead role.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, to a conservative, middle-class family, he embraced the Counterculture of the 1960s and became involved with John Waters and Waters' acting troupe, the Dreamlanders, starring in a number of Waters' early films such as Mondo Trasho (1969), Multiple Maniacs(1970), Pink Flamingos (1972) and Female Trouble (1974). 

Hits on the midnight movie and underground cinema circuit in the U.S., the films became cult classics, with Divine becoming particularly renowned for playing the role of Babs Johnson, "the filthiest person alive", in Pink Flamingos.

In the 1970s, Divine moved into theater, first appearing with The Cockettes before performing in Women Behind Bars and The Neon Woman. Continuing cinematic work, he starred in Polyester (1981), Lust in the Dust (1985) and Hairspray (1988). 

In 1981 Divine embarked on a disco career producing Hi-NRG tracks, most of which were written by Bobby Orlando, and went on to achieve global chart success with hits like "You Think You're a Man", "I'm So Beautiful" and "Walk Like a Man". 

 Divine has remained a cult figure, particularly within the LGBT community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks and songs. Various books and documentary films devoted to his life have also been produced, including Divine Trash (1998) and I Am Divine (2013).

Divine considered himself to be male, and was not transgender or transsexual. He was gay, and during the 1980s had an extended relationship with a married man named Lee, who accompanied him almost everywhere that he went.  They later separated, and Divine went on to have a brief affair with gay porn star Leo Ford.   

Divine initially avoided informing the media about his sexuality, even when questioned by interviewers, and would sometimes hint that he was bisexual, but in the latter part of the 1980s changed this attitude and began being open about his homosexuality. Nonetheless, he avoided discussing gay rights, partially at the advice of his manager, realizing that it would have had a negative effect on his career.

Divine's mother, Frances Milstead, remarked that while Divine "was blessed with many talents and abilities, he could be very moody and demanding." She noted that while he was "incredibly kind and generous", he always wanted to get things done the way that he wanted, and would "tune you out if you displeased him."

 Divine suffered from problems with obesity from childhood, and he "liked to eat... and eat... and eat... and drink gallons of Coca-Cola"; his hunger was increased by his daily use of marijuana, an addiction that he publicly admitted to. According to Jay, in Divine's final years, when his disco career was coming to an end and he was struggling to find acting jobs, he felt suicidal and threatened to kill himself on several occasions.

On  this day~ today- March 7, back in 1988, three weeks after Hairspray was released nationwide, Divine was staying at the Regency Plaza Suites Hotel in Los Angeles. On the following day, he was scheduled to film a guest appearance as Uncle Otto on the Fox network's television series Married... with Children in the second season wrap-up episode.  After spending all day at the studios in rehearsals, Divine had returned to his hotel where he dined with friends at the hotel restaurant before returning to his room. He died that night in his sleep of an enlarged heart at the age of 42.  His corpse was discovered by Bernard Jay the following morning, who then sat with the body for the next six hours alongside three of Divine's other friends. They contacted Thomas Noguchi, the Chief Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, who organized the body's removal; Divine's friends were able to prevent the press from taking any photographs of the body.

Divine's body was taken to Ruck's Funeral Home in Towson, where a special coffin was obtained for him. The funeral took place at Prospect Hill Cemetery, where a crowd of hundreds had assembled to pay their respects. The ceremony was conducted by the Reverend Higgenbotham, who had baptized Divine into the Christian faith many years before. John Waters gave a speech, and was one of the pallbearers who then carried the coffin to its final resting place, next to the grave of Divine's grandmother. Many flowers were left at the grave, including a wreath sent by actress Whoopi Goldberg which remarked "See what happens when you get good reviews." 

 Following the funeral, a tribute was held at the Baltimore Governor's Mansion.

 In the coming weeks, the Internal Revenue Service confiscated many of Divine's possessions and auctioned them off in order to make up for the taxes which he had left unpaid.

 Antony and the Johnsons, wrote a song about Divine which was included in the group's self-titled debut album, released in 1998. The song, titled "Divine," was an ode to the actor, who was one of Antony's lifelong heroes. His admiration is expressed in the lines: "He was my self-determined guru" and "I turn to think of you/Who walked the way with so much pain/Who holds the mirror up to fools.