Carly Mallenbaum

USA TODAY

Actress and transgender activist Alexis Arquette, of the famous Arquette acting family, has died at age 47. Her brother, Richmond, posted the news on Facebook and the Arquette family shared a joint statement from siblings Richmond, Rosanna, Patricia and David.

"Alexis was a brilliant artist and painter, a singer, an entertainer and an actor," the statement 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."

"Our brother Robert, who became our brother Alexis, who became our sister Alexis, who became our brother Alexis, passed this morning September 11, at 12:32 am," surrounded by loved ones, Richmond Arquette shared in a Facebook post. "We were playing music for him, and he passed during David Bowie's Starman. As per his wishes, we cheered at the moment that he transitioned to another dimension."

Alexis' sister Patricia seemed to reference that sad moment in a tweet Sunday. "Breaking through the veil singing StarMan," she posted.

Brother David described Alexis as "My hero for eternity" on Twitter.

Ex-sister-in-law Courteney Cox wrote that her "heart goes out" to those who knew Alexis.

Alexis Arquette, who was born Robert, revealed that she was a transgender woman in 2006. Arquette was the subject of a 2007 documentary, She's My Brother, in which she underwent sex reassignment surgery. Since Caitlyn Jenner transitioned, however, Alexis told her brother, actor David Arquette, that she was "gender suspicious," and would feel like both a man and woman at times. That's what David Arquette shared on an episode of Kocktails With Khloe.

Alexis is best known for playing a brief but memorable role as the "Fourth Man" in Pulp Fiction and the Boy George-inspired character George in the 1998 comedy The Wedding Singer.

Upon hearing the news of Arquette's passing, Boy George tweeted, "Another bright light gone out far too soon. Love to the family and all that loved Alexis."

He also shared a statement:

"Alexis Arquette was a force of nature. A whirling swirling satellite of contradictions. A tongue twisting storm throwing out pop-tastic glitter dust and flicking a wig. A devilish diva in high heels who was never short of something hilarious to spit out," said George, who added that Alexis' character in The Wedding Singer "had me rolling on the floor with laughter."

Alexis "died as he lived, on his own terms," said Richmond Arquette in his Facebook post. "I am immensely grateful that it was fast and painless. It was an incredibly moving experience and I am humbled and grateful to have been able to have been with him as he began his journey onward."

The Arquette siblings said, "In the days leading to (Alexis') death, she told us she was already visiting the other side, and that where she was going, there was only one gender. That on the other side, we are free from all of the things that separate us in this life, and that we are all one."

No cause of death was given in the statement.

The family asks that their privacy be respected during this time, and that in lieu of flowers or gifts, donations be sent in Alexis' honor to organizations that support the LGBTQ community.