Lady Chablis Dies: Star of 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,' Georgia Drag Icon

SAVANNAH, GA — Lady Chablis, the saucy drag performer who skyrocketed to fame with her appearances in the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," has died.

Club One, the Savannah nightclub where Chablis performed for well over two decades, announced the news on its website Thursday.

"Just as 'The Book' shined the spotlight on Savannah, so too did Chablis shine the spotlight on the gay scene, and especially on Club One," the post read. "She was Club One’s very first entertainer, officiating our grand opening in 1988, and paving the way for female impersonation in Savannah. No one, however, could outshine the Grand Empress herself."

"Chablis always wanted to give the audience, be it 15 or 1500, the best that she had," the post goes on to say. "With her declining health, she regretted that her body wouldn’t allow her to give more."

WTOC reports that the performer died at St. Joseph's/Candler Hospital in Savannah, surrounded by family and close friends.

Perhaps more than any other, Chablis stood out in a cast of sometimes quirky, often eccentric characters novelist John Berendt assembled in his 1994 book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

The book is a non-fiction account of the murder trials of millionaire antiques dealer Jim Williams. But it frequently weaves its way through the rest of 1980s Savannah, chronicling characters from a voodoo priestess to the owner of University of Georgia Bulldogs mascot, UGA, to Chablis herself.

Chablis demanded she be allowed to play herself in the 1996 film adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood and, despite having no major film experience, did so — by many accounts stealing the show from more seasoned actors.

Born Benjamin Edward Knox in Quincy, Florida, Chablis authored her own biography, "Hiding My Candy," in 1996.

Throughout the 2000s, she worked on several campaigns for the American Diabetes Association, donating proceeds from many performances to the cause.

Chablis was headlining entertainer for Savannah's inaugural Pride celebration and hosted the event's Miss Gay Pride Pageant. She would go on to perform for, and contribute to, many LGBT charities throughout her career.

Chablis was survived, according to Club One, by a sister, Cynthia.