When Tammy Faye Messner made what was to be her final media appearance last week on Larry King Live, her physical appearance was so visibly devastated by the effects of inoperable cancer that a clip from the show (available on CNN's website) knocked the wind out of even the most snarktastic bloggers. Best to remember Tammy Faye's better times. Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey's 2000 documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye painted the heavily-painted former Mrs. Bakker as a dotty but loveable spiritual friend to the gay community, a kind of surrogate grandmother with the aesthetics of a drag queen. That film cemented Messner's status as a cult icon, long before she headlined for John Waters (yes, seriously) and bunked with Ron Jeremy (yes, seriously).
Here she is, giving a tour of her famous make-up kit. Dedicated Tammy Faye fans should also be sure to check out the World of Wonder blog, where Bailey and Barbato (who are also producers of Messner's son's reality show, One Punk Under God, as well as half of the guilty pleasures currently on cable TV) have launched a touching tribute to their friend.
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