Stephanie “Tanqueray” Johnson, born Aquila Stephanie Springle in 1944, grew up in strict poverty under rigid rules and was pushed out as a pregnant teen. After a brief incarceration, she escaped to Manhattan determined to reinvent her life. Decades later, that reinvention would captivate millions.

In New York, she stitched her own rhinestone costumes and built a name across burlesque, drag, fetish shows, and mob-run clubs. Her world was gritty and glamorous at once. As she said, “My stripper name was Tanqueray. Back in the seventies, I was the only Black girl making white girl money. I danced in so many mob clubs that I learned Italian.” Her life often sounded like a movie, but every scene was real.

In 2019, Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton met her in Chelsea and shared her story in a 33-part series that went viral. A GoFundMe raised over $2.5 million for her medical needs, and her memoir later became a bestseller. Stanton noted a side of her most people never saw: “Stephanie slept with a teddy bear until the day she died.”

Stephanie’s humor carried the weight of her past. She once said, “I hope when I get to heaven God shows me a movie of my life. But just the funny parts… Underneath all the laughs and gags, it was always about one thing: survival.”

She died on October 11 at age 81. Remembered in New York as a fierce storyteller and survivor, Tanqueray’s legacy remains a blend of grit, artistry, and unforgettable honesty.