By Melissa Cunningham, Angus Delaney and Marta Pascual Juanola
Katie Tangey lights up as she talks about the thing she loves doing the most in the world. Her eyelids are covered in sparkly pink and purple eyeshadow. Two large blue, glittery teardrops stream down her cheeks.
“On a random day, I’ll just be sitting there, it’ll be 9pm at night, I’ll be like, ‘I’m gonna go take photos’,” says Tangey, a beaming smile on her face.
“I’ll go into my make-up room, put make-up on, throw on a wig, set up my camera, fix up my lighting, and take photos of myself. That process is just so enjoyable for me that I want to do it for other people as well.”
Photographer and performer Katie Tangey.Credit: Facebook
In the video, Tangey is sitting cross-legged on a couch, speaking to the host of The Creators Process, a YouTube program that interviews creatives about their art. Tangey is there to talk about her artistic trajectory from a creative teenage girl who loved make-up to a drag performer, photographer and burlesque artist.
She can hardly contain her smile as she talks about becoming addicted to performing on stage after her first pin-up pageant at 18, and beating her anxiety and stage fright to solo debut in burlesque to the tune of Courtney Act’s Ugly.
During the 17-minute interview recorded in 2023, she laughs and tells the host she has a “little bit of a brand about being a crybaby” and that she had recently teared up after noticing that a butterfly had become trapped inside a tram.
“Honestly, I cry all the time. I cry at everything,” Tangey says.
She says her plans for the future include make-up, photography sessions and more drag performances under her stage name, Vivien May-Royale. She wants to empower other plus-sized people to feel confident and sexy in their skin.
But Tangey’s life was cut tragically short in the early hours of Thursday morning as she was house and dog-sitting for her brother and his wife in Melbourne’s west as the young couple were away on their honeymoon.
During a panicked triple-zero call at 2am, the 27-year-old administrative assistant told the operator the Truganina home her brother had bought four years ago was engulfed in flames, and she was trapped inside.
By the time firefighters arrived, they could only suppress the blaze from outside, as the inside was already collapsing. Tangey died at the scene, and her brother’s dog, a golden retriever named Sunny, remains unaccounted for, presumed dead.
Hours after the blaze, police stood outside the blackened, scorched remains of the badly burnt home and told reporters that Tangey had been killed by mistake. Two arsonists had firebombed the home, before fleeing down the street.
“She’s been subjected to the most appalling, despicable act one could imagine,” Detective Inspector Chris Murray, head of the arson squad, said.
Investigators are yet to establish the motive for the firebombing or make any arrests. The family has no history with police or links to any crime, and Murray said Tangey’s death had devastated those who loved her.
Those who knew Tangey described her as a shining star.Credit: Facebook
Tributes for Tangey, who had started working as an administrative assistant at Victoria University only eight months ago, flooded social media on Friday. Those who knew her described her as a beautiful woman and shining star capable of lighting up the runway with her magnetic charisma, fierce elegance and dazzling performances.
To remember her “beautiful baby girl”, Tangey’s heartbroken mother, Tracey Tangey, shared online an image of the 27-year-old showing off her make-up in front of a floral background.
“I am completely broken and don’t know how we are going to heal from this devastating news. If you could all remember our beautiful soul in your own way,” she said.
“Rest my baby bub, mum loves you more than you will ever know, you are and always will be my best friend and the love of my life. My heart will be forever broken.”
Detectives at the scene on Thursday.Credit: Penny Stephens
In another image shared by her mother online, Tangey can be seen giving the camera a thumbs-up from the couch after injuring her ankle during a pin-up competition. In others, she smiles as she holds a baby crocodile, and embraces her mother after being crowned the winner of a pageant.
Cherry Charleston said she adored her fellow burlesque performer.
Sunny, the golden retriever Tangey had been minding.Credit: Instagram
“And we loved her relationship with her beautiful, fierce mum,” Charleston said. “Katie’s family is beyond devastated.”
The mother and daughter had matching tattoos of a key and heart-shaped lock. Tangey’s mother also had an image of her daughter dressed as a pin-up tattooed on her arm.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Tangey’s mother and to deal with funeral expenses. Organised by Chanie Hyde, it describes the young woman as “a force, an icon, a star, and a wonderful friend”.
“We love you so much.”
Moments before the emergency call, a dark-coloured hatchback or small SUV was seen parked near the Dover Street home, and neighbours reported hearing an explosion. Police believe the arsonists poured accelerant inside the house before setting it alight.
CCTV footage released by police on Thursday afternoon shows the car parking near the home at 2.03am. At 2.10am, there is a burst of orange flames and two figures can be seen getting into the car and speeding away.
“We are looking for two murderers – let’s be clear about that,” Inspector Murray said.
Fire Rescue Victoria Commander Callum Donoghue said on Thursday that the home had been completely gutted. Twenty-eight firefighters brought the fire under control within an hour. The temperature inside the home exceeded 200 degrees as they battled the blaze.
With Lachlan Abbott and Ashleigh McMillan
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