Pop singer Wayne Holtz’s over-the-top shows included costume changes and plenty of attitude. Credit: Facebook / Wayne Holtz
San Antonio-rooted pop singer, dancer and performance artist Wayne Holtz has died, according to details shared by friends and associates.
Holtz died on a trip to the West Coast to visit friends, according to a Facebook post from Bitters & Bones, a restaurant in Saranac Lake, New York, where he worked. The post offered no further details on his passing.
Although Holtz relocated to Upstate New York some time ago and also spent time in LA, he continued to regularly visit and perform in his hometown.
The multifaceted Holtz was a known as a choreographer, DJ, podcaster, model, dancer, photographer and “creative socialite.” However, more than anything, he was a full-fledged pop star.
Even though he never amassed a chart-topping audience, Holtz presented himself as a larger-than-life persona who put on stadium-worthy shows regardless of the venue. Multiple costume changes and elaborately choreographed moves — often featuring dance troupe House of Kenzo — were par for the course.
“I’m not really a musician, per se … But I’ve always wanted to make music, and so I decided, ‘Screw it. I’m gonna start,” Holtz told the Current in a 2016 interview. “People are ready to be mesmerized here in San Antonio … and that’s why I really decided to go the pop-star route.”
Holtz grew up around the theater and took inspiration from Lady Gaga and Dancing With the Stars, he said in interviews. Early on, he realized that if he wanted to cut through the clutter, he needed to perform with panache and present himself as an ever-evolving work of art.
Despite his early lack of musical experience, Holtz attracted collaborators including Honey Bunny’s Bobby Rivas and Girl in a Coma’s Nina Diaz. He offered up sensual lyrics over sleek electronic dance tracks worthy of his pop-diva aspirations.
“[I’m] not really asking for the audience’s approval, but really just saying, ‘Hello, bitch, I’m here and you’re enjoying it, I know,’” he told the Current in 2016.
That unabashed attitude won Holtz plenty of San Antonio fans, including those who shared online tributes after learning of his death.
“San Antonio music and arts community, I am sending my condolences to you all for the passing of our charismatic, dainty, fiery, hilarious, flouncing, friendly, community minded, multifaceted, ambitious Wayne E. Holtz,” San Antonio Poet Laureate 2020-2023 Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson posted on Facebook. “You inspired us and challenged us to take our art higher with your constant elevation and transformation. I am in utter disbelief. I will let your life inspire me.”
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