Divine (performer) - Legacy and Influence

Legacy and Influence

In coming years, fans of the departed actor often visit Prospect Hill Cemetery to pay their respects. In what has become a tradition, fans have been known to leave makeup, food, and graffiti on his grave in memoriam. John Waters has said that fans go so far as to have sexual intercourse on his grave, which he believes Divine would love.

Divine was the inspiration for the design of Ursula the Sea-Witch, the villain in the Disney 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid.

Divine has left an influence on a number of musicians, as well. Antony Hegarty, of the band Antony and the Johnsons, wrote a song about Divine which was included in the group's self-titled debut album, released in 1998. The song, titled "Divine," was an ode to the actor, who was one of Antony's lifelong heroes. His admiration is expressed in the lines: "He was my self-determined guru" and "I turn to think of you/Who walked the way with so much pain/Who holds the mirror up to fools." Another such example of Divine's influence on musicians appeared in 2008, when Irish electronic singer Róisín Murphy paid homage to Divine in her music video for her song "Movie Star" by reenacting the attack by Lobstora from his 1970 film Multiple Maniacs and by the appearance of Divine lookalikes.

Due to Divine's portrayal of Edna Turnblad in the original comedy-film version of Hairspray, later musical adaptations of Hairspray have commonly placed male actors in the role of Edna, including Harvey Fierstein and others in the 2002 Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 musical film.

I Am Divine, a feature documentary on the life of Divine, is currently in production. It is produced and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz of the Los Angeles-based production company Automat Pictures.

A 12-foot tall statue in the likeness of Divine by Andrew Logan can be seen on permanent display at The American Visionary Art Museum in Divine's hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.