Alexis Arquette, actress and sister to Patricia and David Arquette, dies at 47

Updated

LOS ANGELES - Transgender actress Alexis Arquette died Sunday morning, her brother Richmond Arquette revealed in a Facebook post. She was 47.

"Our brother Robert, who became our brother Alexis, who became our sister Alexis, who became our brother Alexis, passed this morning September 11, at 12:32 am," Richmond wrote. "He was surrounded by all of his brothers and sisters, one of his nieces and several other loved ones. We were playing music for him and he passed during David Bowie's Starman. As per his wishes, we cheered at the moment that he transitioned to another dimension."

See more photos of Arquette

Multiple sources, including Richmond's agent, also confirmed the news to Variety. A cause of death has not been yet released. Alexis Arquette's sister, Oscar-winning actress Patricia Arquette, also appeared to pay tribute to Alexis by tweeting David Bowie's "Starman" and T. Rex's "Cosmic Dancer."

"Breaking through the veil singing Starman," Patricia captioned one tweet. "To My first best friend - Cosmic Dancer," she wrote with the other.

"I am feeling immense gratitude to have been afforded the luxury of sharing life with him/her, for learning from Alexis, for being given the gift of being able to love him/her and to be loved by him/her. He was a force," Richmond added in the Facebook post. "He died as he lived, on his own terms. I am immensely grateful that it was fast and painless. It was an incredibly moving experience and I am humbled and grateful to have been able to have been with him as he began his journey onward. Thank you, Alexis, I love you and will love you always."

Born Robert Arquette, Alexis started acting at a young age and nabbed a variety of roles over her career. She played a Boy George-inspired character in "The Wedding Singer," and also appeared in "Of Men and Mice," "Bride of Chucky," "The Surreal Life," "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" and most recently in 2014's "Blended" alongside Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore.

Along with Patricia, Alexis' famous family also includes David and Rosanna Arquette. Alexis' transition into a woman was documented in 2007's "Alexis Arquette: She's My Brother."

Boy George also paid tribute to the late actress on Sunday, writing on Twitter, "R.I.P my sister Alexis Arquette. Another bright light gone out far too soon. Love to the family and all that loved Alexis."

Advertisement