Stephanie “Tanqueray” Johnson’s life unfolded like a New York movie—gritty, glamorous, and defiantly human. Born Aquila Stephanie Springle in 1944 in Albany, New York, she escaped a strict, impoverished upbringing and fled to Manhattan after being cast out as a pregnant teen. There, she built herself anew and became a voice that would later captivate millions.
Known as Tanqueray, she rose to fame as a magnetic burlesque performer in 1960s and ’70s New York. She hand-stitched rhinestone costumes, ruled mob-run clubs, and crossed boundaries between burlesque, drag, and fetish scenes. Her signature line summed it up: “Back in the seventies, I was the only Black girl making white girl money.”
Her stories—filled with mob bosses, fashion, and danger—sounded cinematic but were all true. She embodied New York nightlife’s raw, untamed energy, turning hardship into performance art.
In 2019, photographer Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York met her on a Chelsea street. Her 33-part story went viral, mesmerizing the internet with wit, honesty, and survival. A companion GoFundMe raised over $2.5 million for her medical care, and her 2022 memoir, Tanqueray, became a bestseller.
Behind the tough exterior, Stanton noted, was deep innocence: “Despite her sharp edges, she was capable of such softness. Stephanie slept with a teddy bear until the day she died.”
She once said, “I hope when I get to heaven, God shows me a movie of my life—but just the funny parts.” That humor was her shield and survival tool.
Tanqueray passed away on October 11 at age 81, leaving behind a legend celebrated in Chelsea and beyond.
Her legacy endures as a testament to resilience, creativity, and unfiltered truth—a woman who turned survival into art and refused to let her story be silenced.
