THE GAY COMMUNITY was plunged into mourning Sunday when a contestant in the Miss Galaxy World 2011 contest died in the midst of the show.
Shawn Bubbles Waterman was leading the competition on points when he collapsed and was declared dead during the wee hours of Sunday at the Plantation Garden Theatre.
Waterman, 27, was a crowd favourite and a hit with the judges as he was ahead on points following an impressive talent, swimwear and costume display, appearing as Miss Bahamas.
It was around 12:15 a.m. that there was an urgent appeal for a doctor or any medical personnel to go backstage. Minutes later, there were whispers that one of the contestants had died, while some patrons held out hope, saying, “Don’t panic, there is still a pulse.”
But hope gave way to tears when it was clear that the contestant could not be revived.
Among those present were Waterman’s mother Jacqueline Straughn, who was in tears, and franchise holder/president of the United Gays and Lesbians Against AIDS of Barbados (UGLAAB) Darcy Dear.
Waterman had lip-synced Rihanna’s “Man Down”. That segment of the show featured each contestant lip-syncing the popular tune, but Bubbles’ outstanding performance indicated he was leading in the patrons’ eyes.
It was around 12:45 a.m. that Production Manager Kofi Branch told the audience that “due to an incident backstage, the show can no longer go on”.
Judges later revealed that Bubbles was “leading the competition”.
Bubbles’ sister Sabrina Waterman later told the DAILY NATION her mother “had just come from the doctor and was not taking it well”.
She described her brother as a fun-loving person who was very outspoken. “If Bubbles had something to tell you he gine tell you,” she said. “We knew his lifestyle and we never had any problems with it; we accepted it and just begged him to keep safe.”
She said she last spoke to Bubbles on Friday. He had asked her to come to the show, but she told him she had to work.
