Shangela was a breakthrough star. With her sharp-tongued retorts, viral catchphrases, and distinctive Southern accent, the gregarious Texas drag queen quickly rose to become one of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s most beloved contestants. “[It’s] like ‘Angela’ with an ‘S-h,’” she explained on the show. “The debutantess of the Deep South.”

Despite an early Season Two elimination when the queen was in her late twenties, a more polished version of the future star returned to the runway for two other installments in the show’s franchise. Drag Race fans often complain...