The Strongest Man Alive). She is also co-owner of a successful company that creates wedding cakes and other confectionary products. In the past, she also ran a successful bar. She was also the first openly transgender person on American television. Life and career Karen was born on June 28, 1979, in Los Angeles, California, USA, to parents who were married. She had a happy upbringing and attended Hollywood High School. When she was at the age of 11, she had her first crush. She began hormone therapy at age 14, and her first surgery was at the age of 22. Karen Krieger began doing shows at clubs and pubs in Hollywood and San Francisco as soon as she became of age and eventually created a television show called Hips and Curves which focused on the lives of transgender people. While a few of her shows featured her wearing clothing that made her appear to be male, she decided to transition genders more fully as well as start working on shows focused more specifically on being transgender. A few months after she began to transition, she began her job at the local bar in Southern California. She eventually became known as "The first openly transgender woman to be a TV host," "transsexual superstar," and "America's Favorite Tranny" at the age of 24. During the 1980s, she worked at the bar and as a go-go dancer to help pay for her studies at Santa Monica College. Karen graduated from college and moved on to study at the University of California. On November 4, 2005, she was found dead at the age of 37 in a hotel in Santa Monica, California. Her death was due to complications after surgery that had been performed after doctors were unable to remove kidney cancer. She is survived by her husband, two cats, and two dogs. She left her estate to her long-time friend Mark Thompson. References Category:1979 births Category:2005 deaths Category:Transgender and transsexual actresses Category:People from Los Angeles Category:Deaths from kidney cancer Category:LGBT people from California Category:Transgender and transsexual women Category:Santa Monica College alumni Category:Actresses from California Category:Transgender and transsexual media personalities Category:LGBT entertainers from the United States Category:Transgender and transsexual media personalities Category:LGBT broadcasters from the United States Category:Women radio presenters Category:LGBT broadcasters from the United States Category:LGBT producers Category:LGBT models Category:LGBT models who committed suicide Category:People who died in hotel fires Category:R. Kelly Category:American women in business Category:Women television personalities Category:20th-century American actresses Category:21st-century American actresses