AJ Bediako, a former Brit Crew member on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, has reportedly passed away.
On May 28, a statement from his teammates at the London Knights Basketball Club shared their heartbreak over the death of their “teammate, friend and much loved member of our family”.
The club, which is the UK’s first gay and inclusive basketball team, praised Bediako as a “core part of the London Knights” whose “uplifting energy, constant support and beaming smile lit up every room he walked into”.
“In his role as club secretary, he gave so much to our community and played a huge part in shaping our club into the place it is today. His passing leaves a huge hole in our club and in our lives,” they wrote.
“Last night at training, we came together to remember AJ and hold space for each other. We send our deepest condolences to his family, his partner Gabe, our teammates, his friends, and everyone who was lucky enough to know him.”
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The London Knights concluded: “Rest in peace, AJ. You will be missed immensely and will always be part of the Knights.”
Bediako was one of the original ‘Brit Crew’ members on the first-ever season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, appearing in episodes three, five and six.
According to his Instagram, he worked as a certified fitness coach, offering lessons online and in person at F45 Training Brixton and PureGym Clapham. In his bio, he proudly displayed that he was “O.G. BritCrew”.
As an actor, he appeared alongside Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman: Winter’s War (2016) as a Huntsman, as well as in episodes of Venus vs. Mars (2015) and One Crazy Thing (2016).
Bediako previously discussed his coming out journey in a video interview for It Gets Better, an LGBTQIA+ nonprofit organisation whose mission is to “uplift, empower and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth around the globe”.
@itgetsbetter_uk Happy new year! 🎉 We’re entering this new year with positivity as we recall this heartwarming video of AJ Bediako, member of the Brit Crew from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1. From coming out to his older brothers, to close friends, he found that “they loved me for who I was as a person”, and this was the beginning of things getting better. 🌈 🙌 Have you had your own ‘It Gets Better’ experience? Share it with us through the link in our bio. Let’s inspire more LGBTQ+ youth, together. #GayUK #LGBTQStories #ItGetsBetterUK #DragRaceUK ♬ original sound – itgetsbetteruk
“My teenage years were very hard and confusing because I grew up in a church and everybody knew everyone,” he reflected. “I had an inkling that I was different to other people. I knew I was attracted to guys. Around the time of YouTube popping up, that’s when I started to get more information about different lifestyles.”
Bediako said he came out to his two older brothers and classmates on his media course, which was “the beginning of it getting better”: “They loved me because I was AJ. They loved me for who I was as a person. Even if you feel like people do not love you right now, there will always be people that love you. You are perfect the way you are.”
In the London Knights’ Instagram post, Drag Race UK alumni such as Tia Kofi, Pixie Polite and Cheryl shared their condolences, with Pixie remembering how “kind and supportive” he was, and Cheryl saying: “We will love you always AJ.”
Others remembered Bediako as the “kindest, friendliest, warmest of people” and a “legend”.
Our thoughts are with AJ Bediako’s loved ones during this heartbreaking time.
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