Draft:Mr. Charlie Brown

Mr. Charlie Brown (December 29, 1949 – March 21, 2024) was an American drag queen, comedian, and television personality with a career that spanned five decades. Brown was active in drag pageantry beginning in the early 1970s and was first runner-up in the Miss Gay America pageant in 1972. He appeared on daytime talk shows in the early 1990s and in a 1997 HBO documentary titled Dragtime . Brown popularized drag performance with his self-titled cabaret show at the Backstreet gay club in Atlanta, Georgia at a time when Gay Rights in the Southern United States were considered controversial. His comedic performances were characterized by dark, insult style routines that addressed topics including heterosexuality, poverty, LGBT Rights, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse.

Early life
Brown was born in Siloam, Tennessee on December 29, 1949.

Entertainment Career
Mr. Brown's drag career began after he entered the first Miss Gay America Pageant

Brown was a headlining performer at the Hollywood Hots fundraiser, an annual event in Atlanta which raised money for the National Association of People with AIDS. The 5th Annual Hollywood Hots fundraiser took place on September 11, 1993, in the lower lot of the Atlanta Heretic on Cheshire Bridge Road and featured Brown along with other performers including winner of the 1991 Miss Continental pageant, Amber Richards.

Brown was the recipient of the 2022 Atlanta Phoenix Award, a civilian honor for his lifetime of activism in the LGBT community and fundraising efforts for People With AIDS.

Death
Brown died from sepsis at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia on March 21, 2024 after complications from a heart valve replacement surgery.