""Yesterday, an era ended and a star ascended," the message reads. "My great grandmother Helen Ruth Elam Vanwinkle danced her way to heaven. She was joy, rebellion, and tenderness wrapped in one. The crown is eternal, & her love on many realms will live forever. This isn't a goodbye, this is a See ya later my superstar.""
""She was iconic 🥹 sending love," Hilton wrote."
"Vanwinkle's popular Instagram account, which boasts 3 million followers, features a short bio that reads, "Stealing yo man Since 1928," the year she was born."
Helen Vanwinkle, known online as Baddie Winkle, died at age 97 on September 4, 2025. An Instagram post on her account announced her death and described her as joy, rebellion, and tenderness, saying she danced her way to heaven and calling her a superstar whose crown is eternal. Paris Hilton and many others left condolences in the post's comments, with Hilton writing that Vanwinkle was iconic. Vanwinkle's Instagram had about 3 million followers and a bio reading "Stealing yo man Since 1928." The post indicated that further updates would follow and prompted public mourning across social platforms.
Read at Complex
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