Alexis Arquette, who died Sunday at the age of 47, passed away due to complications related to AIDS, according to reports.
“Alexis was living with AIDS and he had an inoperable tumour and he had developed an infection,” Robert Dupont, a former boyfriend of Arquette’s, told Radaronline.com. “I was told that went to his liver and throughout his body.”
READ MORE: Transgender actress Alexis Arquette dead at age 47
Arquette passed away Sunday morning surrounded by family member while listening to David Bowie’s Star Man, according to a post on Facebook from brother Richmond Arquette.
He said the actress died while “surrounded by all of his brothers and sisters, one of his nieces and several other loved ones.”
Alexis, who was known for playing a Boy George impersonator in the Wedding Singer among other movies, documented her transition to a woman in the 2007 film Alexis Arquette: She’s my brother.
She is also the sister of actors David, Patricia and Rosanna Arquette.
Her family released a statement Sunday evening which read, “Her career was cut short, not by her passing, but by her decision to live her truth and her life as a transgender woman.
“Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical. She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people.”
The quartet announced they were grateful for life’s lessons learned from her transition.
“As Alexis transitioned into being a woman, she taught us tolerance and acceptance. As she moved through her process, she became our sister, teaching us what real love is.”
With files from Rebecca Joseph