After a two-year fight with brain cancer, Will Munro passed away yesterday morning at the age of 35. Will was a prolific artist, a generous friend, a pillar of Toronto queer culture, and a tireless bringer together of people.
When I came to visit Toronto from New York for the first time in 2004, Will and the community he built around his parties Peroxide and Vazaleen were my first introduction to a queer social scene that wasn’t like anything I had seen before. As close-knit as it was far-reaching, the community and its limitless affection and support made Toronto home for me when I moved here two years later.
So thank you, Will. Here’s to vegetarian dinner parties, silk-screening lessons, roller skating backwards, Spandex orifices, oyster birthday gluttony, moving vans, wedding tunes, and Moustache memories.
Will sat down for an interview recently with his good friend Leila Pourtavaf to discuss his life and work, including his final solo art show, Inside The Solar Temple of the Cosmic Leather Daddy. You can read it here.
The Facebook Group “Honoring the Heart of Will Munro” serves as an online collection of memories of Will, including articles, photos, and video.
After the jump, you can watch a short documentary directed by Matt Thomas about Will’s underwear art and the birth of Vazaleen.
(The above photo of Will was taken by Jeremy Laing at Big Primpin on May 5, 2007)
Rest in Peace, Will.
I’m so sorry to read about your loss and the loss to the Toronto Queer community. It is never easy to lose someone you love. Keep his memory close to your heart and he’ll never be far from you.
this is a beautiful tribute. great blogging.