14/09/2026
We are extremely sad to announce the passing of David Wootton.
David was a prominent figure in the q***r community. With his unforgettable brand of outlandish camp comedy as Lady Ophelia Hole, or "Lady Oh" for short. Not that David did anything small! David started performing as part of The Drag Hags of Essex almost 10 years ago. They could regularly be found hosting karaoke at The Cliff, and performing at multiple fundraisers for local charities. We were honoured enough to have David join us for many pride fundraisers and have extremely fond memories all the way back from him and Dusty Clacker making the finals of Southend Pride's Got Talent.
David went on to co-own Infinity Showbar. With their opening date looming, suddenly Covid hit, disrupting their plans. However, David was never the type of man to back down for anything he cared about. Infinity Showbar went on to thrive and became a staple of our community, providing a space where the LGBTQIA+ community could feel safe on a night out.
David and the Infinity Showbar team have performed at every Southend Pride since 2019, and even provided footage for our Virtual Pride. Infinity also donated to Pride, as well as sponsoring headline acts. At David's last performance with us, after getting the audience going with some ABBA bangers, the audience roared with laughter as he threw bread rolls at our stage manager whilst lip syncing to Feed The Birds. That was David - he never took himself too seriously, and wanted nothing but to spread joy and laughter to all. People gravitated towards him, and we were lucky enough to call him a friend.
Thank you for the laughter, the warmth, the support, the dedication and the friendship you gave to our lives.
You will be deeply missed. Our thoughts go to David's family at this time. We'll raise a vodka to your memory.
Rest in peace, Lady Oh.
04/02/67 - 9/09/26
