Eddie Bell, Known as Cookie Dough, Dies

Eddie Bell, who was known to many as drag queen Cookie Dough, died January 29 at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Francisco. He was 51.

Mr. Bell had become ill while in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to perform in the drag version of The Golden Girls. He was taken to a hospital there, but did not receive proper medical attention, his partner, Michael Chu, told the Bay Area Reporter . Several days later, Mr. Bell was flown back to San Francisco and admitted to Kaiser, where he was diagnosed with meningitis.

"The whole thing was like a nightmare," said Chu, choking back tears.

The couple had recently celebrated their 14th anniversary as domestic partners, Chu said.

Gay San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, who adjourned Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting in memory of Mr. Bell and his drag persona, told the B.A.R. that he assisted with contacting Kaiser officials to hasten Mr. Bell's return to the city.

"I was helping Michael, who was having a very difficult time with the hospital," Campos said.

Mr. Bell and Chu were "a performance couple," said Chu, who is also known as DJ MC2.

Mr. Bell was a local fixture in the LGBT community. He started doing drag in 2002, launching Cookie ... After Dark at Martuni's lounge. In August 2004, the Monster Show with Cookie Dough and DJ MC2 was launched in the heart of the Castro at Harvey's bar and restaurant, winning best drag act from the now-defunct San Francisco Bay Guardian 's Best of the Bay 2006. Today, the Monster Show can be found on Thursdays at the Edge.

The weekly drag show at the Edge, known as the longest-running drag show in the Castro, will continue with many talented queens willing to step in to help MC2, said Heklina, a longtime friend and neighbor of the couple who is also known by his given name, Stefan Grygelko.

Heklina noted that Mr. Bell was co-producer of The Golden Girls productions, entertaining sold-out audiences for the past nine years. Mr. Bell played the amusingly sharp-tongued character Sophia Petrillo.

"Cookie Dough was the best friend, the best downstairs neighbor, the best work partner (we produced the Golden Girls together every year), just the best, period," Heklina told the B.A.R. "I have never met anyone so purely good as Cookie, and I will miss her forever. I'm heartbroken. Someone the other night likened it to having a broken limb, but they were wrong and I corrected them. It's like losing a limb. A part of me is gone."

In 2010, Cookie Dough was elected Grand Duchess of San Francisco.

"The 40-year-old fundraising organization fit in well with Cookie's kind and giving spirit," Heklina said.

Mr. Bell also did the monthly Monster Show at Bootie SF. Adrian Roberts, founder of Bootie SF, praised Mr. Bell and Chu for their professionalism.

"She did the Monster Show at Bootie as one of our monthly resident shows," Roberts said via a Facebook message. "Her and MC2 were really the only ones I felt I could trust with not flaking out on a big monthly drag show, and she was a consummate professional. She has left a gaping void in our community, and I still can't believe she's gone."

Added Roberts, "Cookie was not only one of the most hard-working queens I've ever met, she was also insanely nice. She was the drag mother for what seems like half the queens in this town. And while many drag queens have a reputation for being bitchy, flaky, and full of attitude, Cookie was none of those things. Well, she had an attitude, but it was rarely unleashed at the expense of others. She saved the attitude for the stage."

In the B.A.R.'s annual readers' poll that is currently underway, the Besties, Cookie Dough is among the nominees in the best drag queen category, and the Monster Show at the Edge is nominated for best drag show.

"Although our nominees were chosen before Eddie Bell's hospitalization, it's been heartwarming to see how many co-nominees in several categories are asking their friends to vote for Cookie, who was truly one of the sweetest people in our local nightlife scene," said BARtab editor Jim Provenzano.

Chu said that both he and Mr. Bell had been clean and sober for 15 years; the couple met in early recovery.

Mr. Bell had been a technical worker at the old Josie's Cabaret and Juice Joint - where he also dabbled in stand-up comedy - in the early 1990s, Chu said.

"He had always had the dream of being on stage," Chu said. "The courage of sobriety gave him the confidence to pursue his dreams. His philosophy was, if you can dream it, do it. Nothing was too grandiose of an idea to try."

Mr. Chu said that one of Mr. Bell's strengths was the time he took with people he met, especially when performing as Cookie Dough.

"He was the kindest person," Chu said. "He took time to talk to you - he always stopped by to say hi. He remembered what was going on in your life. He made everybody feel like he was their best friend."

Chu said that Mr. Bell was not only his partner, but his best friend.

"I could have the worst day and knew it would be OK because I came home to this man," he said.

Edward Robert Bell was born November 8, 1963 in San Francisco. He was raised in the city and graduated from Balboa High School in 1981.

In addition to Chu, Mr. Bell is survived by his stepfather, Ron Sutton, and two nephews, Michael and Matthew Bell.

A celebration of Mr. Bell's life will be held Sunday, March 1 at 6 p.m. at the Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th Street in San Francisco.

Friends have established an online fund to raise money for Mr. Bell's medical and funeral expenses. To donate, visit http://www.gofundme.com/kppdgo.