Drag personality, actor, and show host Cookie Dough, aka Eddie Bell, died yesterday. Pollo Del Mar announced the news on Facebook yesterday evening.
As we reported last weekend, Bell had suffered a brain edema while in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico reprising his role as Sophia Petrillo in the drag rendition of the show The Golden Girls. He fell into a coma last Wednesday after complaining of feeling sick during the days leading up to the hospitalization.
Bell was transported to San Francisco on Monday and placed into the care of his primary care physician. Doctors at Kaiser Medical Center diagnosed him with meningitis, a diagnosis that didn't come until he made it home.
Bell is survived by his husband, Michael Chu.
Bell started his drag career as Cookie Dough in the early 2000s, though first donned drag in 1990 at a friend's birthday celebration. He got the itch to do more and performed with a Marin-based drag troupe called “The Galaxy Girls” for two years before the group disbanded. In 2002, Bell and his partner Chu started "Cookie ... After Dark”, a live cabaret show featuring piano accompaniment.
As Cookie Dough, Bell had a passion for horror themes which were reflected in his work. Bell, in partnership with his filmmaking and DJ husband Chu, was star of a series of short films that showed at film festivals around the county including Creep, Deconstructing Love, Evil Deeds, and Call Me Daddy. He was also featured in a 2004 documentary about Trannyshack called Blood, Sweat and Glitter.
Bell as Cookie Dough was also a regular performer at Trannyshack, BootieSF, and Charlie Horse.
Michael Chu posted a remembrance on his Facebook after the news was announced:
Heaven.
The first touch of heaven
I glimpsed through your eyes
A heaven I perceived when you
whispered my name… A comfort
of heaven that I knew when I held you close.
So close that your beating heart
fused perpetually with mine
The strength of a heaven, that
switched identities remained the same.
Did you ever know that you were my heaven?
A heaven I cherished whenever you walked through a door.
A heaven I will be experiencing with you no more.
Rest In Peace Eddie Bell. (11-08-63 – 01-29-15)
