It definitely felt surreal to learn about Grandfather Hector’s passing, and it was also almost impossible to imagine another Ball without his presence, especially since I had just seen him a few months earlier looking perfectly healthy at the Latex Ball and then at the Heritage Ball. At times it feels like legends will never die, and in many ways they don’t because the legacy that they leave behind lives on for many generations to come. Grandfather Hector will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most beloved and respected figures in the Ballroom community.

Growing up as Hector Crespo in New Jersey by way of Puerto Rico, Hector did not have the best experience coming out as gay, to say the least. His mother kicked him out of the house, and Hector never finished high school and lived on the streets of New York for a time. Eventually he was able to create a new family within, at that time, the extremely underground Harlem Ballroom community. Historically, the Ballroom community was known for being a refuge for those rejected by their families, and the Houses always served as alternative or chosen families, primarily consisting of black or Latino LGBTQ youth. Hector was no exception, finding himself embraced by the House Of Extravaganza (Extravaganza is the original spelling). He eventually became the Father of the House and later on changed his legal name to Hector Xtravaganza.