Marsha P. Johnson
American drag queen
Died when: 46 years 317 days (562 months)Star Sign: Virgo
![Marsha P. Johnson](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/A_photo_of_Marsha_P._Johnson.png?width=300)
Marsha P.Johnson (August 24, 1945 – July 6, 1992) also known as Malcolm Michaels Jr., was an American gay liberation activist and self-identified drag queen.
Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures in the Stonewall uprising of 1969.
Though some have mistakenly credited Johnson for starting the riots, Johnson was always forthcoming about having not been present when the riots began.
Johnson was a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and co-founded the radical activist group Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.), alongside close friend Sylvia Rivera.
Johnson was also a popular figure in New York City's gay and art scene, modeling for Andy Warhol, and performing onstage with the drag performance troupe Hot Peaches.
Johnson was known as the "mayor of Christopher Street" due to being a welcoming presence in the streets of Greenwich Village.
From 1987 through 1992, Johnson was an AIDS activist with ACT UP.Johnson's body was found floating in the Hudson River in 1992.
Initially (and quickly) ruled a suicide by the NYPD, controversy and protest followed, eventually leading to a re-opening of the case as a possible homicide.