It’s been a devastating week for the LGBTQ+ community and the wider world of art, cinema, and fashion. In the span of just days, we’ve lost German queer cinema legend Udo Kier and Irish fashion luminary Paul Costelloe—two men whose influence shimmered across decades, mediums, and continents. Their lives couldn’t have been more different, yet both carved out legacies rooted in authenticity, creativity, and unapologetic flair.
And darling… what a pair of legacies they were.
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Udo Kier: The Eternal Avant-Garde Prince
News of Udo Kier’s passing shook cinephiles to their core. The beloved actor, who was 81, died in Palm Springs, with his longtime partner, artist Delbert McBride, confirming that Kier spent his final hours in the hospital there.
Kier was, in every sense, a cinematic chameleon. Over the course of his extraordinary career, he collected more than 250 acting credits and collaborated with some of the boldest directors in film history. He first rose to notoriety with unforgettable turns in the Andy Warhol–produced cult classics Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) and Blood for Dracula (1974). But he didn’t stop at the underground—they loved him in Hollywood too. He popped up in major studio hits throughout the ’90s, with memorable appearances in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Armageddon, and the vampiric blockbusterBlade.
His international résumé is practically its own film festival. Kier acted under the direction of European giants like Rainer Werner Fassbinder—appearing in The Stationmaster’s Wife, The Third Generation, and Lili Marleen—and he became a recurring figure in Lars von Trier’s cinematic universe, appearing in works like Breaking the Waves, Melancholia, Dogville, and Dancer in the Dark. In the U.S., filmmaker Gus Van Sant became one of his closest collaborators. Kier often credited Van Sant for helping him secure his American work permit and his SAG card—opportunities that later led to his appearance in My Own Private Idaho (1991).
Born Udo Kierspe in Cologne in 1944, his arrival into the world happened amid Allied bombings—a dramatic beginning befitting a man who would one day star in some of the most eccentric films ever shot. He didn’t shy away from wider pop culture either; he famously appeared in Madonna’s Sex book and even popped up in her “Erotica” and “Deeper and Deeper” music videos. Because of course he did.
@magnoliapics A legend has said goodbye. RIP Udo Kier, the electric star of Todd Stephens’s 2021 film #SwanSong
Even late in life, Kier continued choosing roles that blended humor, heartbreak, and queerness. One of his standout recent performances was Swan Song (2022), where he portrayed a retired gay hairdresser coaxed back into glam duty when a former client requested him and only him to do her funeral glam. It was camp, it was tender, and it was unmistakably Kier. His final screen appearance was in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, a film that helped earn Wagner Moura the best actor award at Cannes this year.
Gamers loved him too—Kier lent his unmistakable voice to multiple video games, including entries in the Call of Duty franchise.
And through all of it, he never hid his queerness. In a 2021 interview, he noted that his sexuality was simply a non-issue: people hired him because he delivered the performance—full stop. “Maybe it was obvious,” he said with trademark cool detachment, “but it never mattered.”
Paul Costelloe: The Man Who Dressed Royalty and Made Ireland Chic
Just as the cinematic world mourned Kier, fashion lovers soon learned that Paul Costelloe, the celebrated Irish designer and former personal couturier to Princess Diana, had died at 80. His family shared that he passed away on November 22, surrounded by those closest to him.
Born in Dublin in 1945, Costelloe grew up steeped in the world of fabric and tailoring—thanks to his father, who crafted raincoats. According to his brand, he later trained at the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, though he often joked that simply living in Paris during the eras of Ungaro and Cardin taught him more than any classroom could.
Tributes have been paid to the renowned Irish fashion designer Paul Costelloe, who has died at the age of 80. He was one of the most established names in Irish and British fashion, and for 15 years was personal designer to Princess Diana. Rory O’Reilly looks back. pic.twitter.com/JmUY1r88Bx
— BBC Newsline (@bbcnewsline) November 24, 2025
His earliest industry gigs included working under designer Jacques Esterel, before heading to Milan for roles with Marks & Spencer and La Rinascente. A later stint in the U.S. designing for Anne Fogarty set the stage for his next big move: launching his own label in 1979. His designs soon became known for rich textiles, playful yet precise construction, and subtle nods to Irish heritage.
His career took a fairytale turn when one of Princess Diana’s ladies-in-waiting recognized his work and arranged an introduction. The meeting led to Costelloe becoming Diana’s personal designer, a role he held until her tragic death in 1997. Reflecting on those early days, he once recalled looking over Hyde Park and thinking, This is it—you’ve made it.
Costelloe continued working for decades, influencing Irish and British fashion with collections that blended elegance and whimsy, always with his signature craftsmanship at the forefront.
A Double Loss — And a Reminder of What They Gave Us
Losing both Udo Kier and Paul Costelloe in such quick succession feels like a rare cultural eclipse: the dimming of two brilliant, wildly different stars whose work shaped queer identity, art, and self-expression across generations. Kier gave us boundary-pushing, emotionally raw performances. Costelloe gave us silhouettes, textures, and fashion moments that defined an era.
Their spirits will continue living in every queer film festival, every meticulously sewn hem, every outlandish performance, and every bold design choice.
May their memories forever shimmer.