Lucian Piane, known for his work on RuPaul’s Drag Race, had a police encounter just hours before his sudden death in California. The music producer and occasional judge faced an arrest after an incident at a hotel. His death came after several troubling events in the days before his passing.
Lucian Piane was arrested in Glendale hours before his death, according to sources
According to TMZ, law enforcement sources said police arrested Piane on Sunday evening at an Embassy Suites hotel in Glendale, California. He allegedly threw a water bottle at a hotel manager after accusing him of running a prostitution ring. Glendale police responded to the scene and arrested Piane for assault around 6:45 p.m. Sources told the outlet that Piane described himself to officers as a Hollywood writer and denied taking drugs.
One source described Piane as appearing manic and speaking in a rambling way. He cooperated with officers during the arrest, sources said. Police booked him at 7:42 p.m. and cited and released him at 11:49 p.m. About five hours later, Piane died after a vehicle struck him in Glendale on Monday morning.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruled Piane’s death an accident and listed blunt trauma as the cause. His arrest on Sunday followed another encounter with Glendale police the previous day. Officers cited him on Saturday for allegedly being under the influence of a controlled substance, and he had a court date scheduled for Monday. In the days before his death, Piane also posted a series of Instagram videos that worried fans.
Despite those concerns, Piane had celebrated more than a year of sobriety just two months earlier. For several years, he served as an occasional judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race and contributed to some of the most iconic musical numbers on the show. His work made him a familiar name among fans of the competition series.
