NORTHAMPTON — Kimberly “KJ” Morris, who performed at Diva’s Nightclub as a drag king, was among the victims identified in the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando over the weekend.
Morris, 37, performed under the stage name “Daddy K,” according to a post by Diva’s late Sunday evening.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends,” the post read. “We will always remember her smile and her amazing way she lit up the stage in her performances. Keep dancing KJ … And we’ll keep smiling remembering you!!”
Morris worked as an evening manager at the Smith College Campus Center from 2004 to 2007, according to Smith spokesman Sam Masinter.
Tamra Bates, director of the office of student engagement at Smith, issued a statement about Morris.
“KJ was an enthusiastic student affairs professional, a committed educator and cared deeply about the students here at Smith,” Bates wrote. “She was never without a smile and a kind word for others and incredibly patient with students interested in learning something new. She will be deeply missed by our Campus Center family.”
Morris moved to Orlando two months prior to the shooting to help her mother and grandmother, who both live in Orlando, according to an article by the Orlando Sentinel.
Morris was working as a bouncer at Pulse the night she was killed, according to the Sentinel article.
“She was so excited. She’d just started working there and told me how she was thrilled to get more involved in the LGBT community there,” said ex-girlfriend Starr Shelton in the Sentinel article.