Frances Milstead, RIP

via Milstead's MySpace

Frances Milstead and Divine at the Hairspray Premier in 1988

Sadly, Frances Milstead, beloved mother of the great screen comedian Divine, died this morning after a bout with cancer and some other health setbacks. The author of the memoir My Son Divine and the subject of the recent documentary A Mother Divine, Frances is best known for birthing "Divvy," the large, loud, and hilarious star of John Waters films like Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble. (Divine died in 1988, just as his career was taking on new levels.) That alone secures Frances' place in entertainment legend, but she herself was a large-scale figure with many fans and followers. She can never be replaced.