Carmen Imaculada Ruiz

Carmen Imaculada Ruiz transitioned from this life embraced in love and peace on Friday, August 4, 2023, after an extended illness, making a glorious exit as only Carmen could. Though she has left the physical realm, she was bathed in the radiance of God’s love and protection and let us know with the most magnificent rainbow that all was well. The second of five siblings, Carmen was born on April 9, 1961, in Rota, Spain to an American father, the late Harland E. Rudd, and a Spanish mother, the late Antonia Ruiz-Henestrosa Fernandez. At the age of 15, Carmen moved to Washington, DC where she began her education in the parochial and private school systems of the District of Columbia. Carmen and school weren’t the best of pals, but she had a major love and passion for art, and couldn’t get enough of her art classes under the tutelage of her teacher, Mike Healey. It was during these formative years that she began to cultivate the creativity and flair that would bring her international renown later in life and help set her legacy as an international icon for generations to come. Upon graduation from high school, Carmen moved to New York after finding inspiration in an episode of Kojak, with all of the hopes and dreams of any young adult full of ambition and craving adventure. New York held unlimited opportunities for the young Carmen who fantasized about a career in fashion or the stage. She didn’t know how it would all unfold, but she knew she was destined for greater things and that one day, she and the spotlight would become acquainted with each other. Once in New York, Carmen found community and kinship within the New York Ballroom scene and quickly made a name for herself as a member of The House of Xtravaganza. Her star only grew brighter as her creativity and talent dazzled each and every time she took to the floor, becoming a staple in the East Coast ballroom scene and a fixture on the New York club scene. Her admirers grew anxious to get a peek at what tricks the alluring Carmen Xtravaganza had up her sleeve and she kept them wanting more. But it was her appearance in the award-winning 1990 documentary, “Paris is Burning” that gave the world an opportunity to get to know Carmen on a grander scale. Though her dialogue in the movie was brief, there isn’t a person who has seen the film that can’t parrot her one-liner that will live on for generations of movie fans. With the eyes of the world upon her, demand for Carmen’s talents grew and as a natural performer, her talents and showmanship have graced stages from coast to coast and on multiple continents to amazed and adoring crowds. Carmen loved to beguile audiences and bring smiles to those who came to enjoy her craft whether for entertainment or competing in a pageant. Most recently, Carmen was honored with an exhibition in Rota, Spain filled with photos paying tribute to her years as a model and performer and a display of costumes and other memorabilia from her career in ballroom and was presented with a Proclamation honoring her with a street to be named after her in her beloved birthplace of Rota. Very few were privy to Carmen’s private side and she enjoyed a number of interests and hobbies in her downtime. Many of you can scan the room and figure out that Carmen loved the color turquoise and she had quite a collection of jewelry and clothing showcasing her favorite color. Carmen could also be found spending time on a quiet afternoon with a canvas and her paint brushes as she was an avid painter who enjoyed expressing the beauty in the world that she saw all around her. Carmen was a passionate coin collector, taking a great interest in discovering and possessing rare coins and spending hours arranging her collection. But more than anything, Carmen loved Barbie and had spent years amassing an enviable collection of Barbies from every walk of life, career path, and fashion persona. Family meant everything to Carmen and in addition to her parents, she is pre-deceased by her late brother Chase Rudd and survived by her companion Don Lepore, her sisters, Fontessa Rudd of Florida, and Irma Rudd of Maryland, and brother George O’Neil of Maryland, Stephanie Wyatt of Maryland, Phillip Mestre and Lionel "Leo" Ardin of Florida, Bella Batista of New York, Luis "Camarona" Vazquez of New York, Jose Disla of New York, and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.

Carmen Imaculada Ruiz

April 9, 1961 - August 4, 2023