The Glitter Kitty (Josh Torres)

Please help us raise money to support Josh's family. We are dreaming big here. But we want to do something that will keep keep sprinkling the world with glitter. So, we are doing an ask of $10,000. $8,000 of which will go his family for funeral expenses and $2,000 will begin the Glitter Kitty, a fund for artists who are bold, daring, unique, and challenge the status quo of modern art, because, well...more artists like him should exist in our world.

If you are interested in joining the Glitter Kitty Committee (yes, we know that is the best name. ever.) please email [email redacted]. 

Everyone who knew Josh had a different story. Below are the collections of stories that people have posted in the week following his passing. We couldn't have come up with anything quite as special as what his many friends and loved ones have said about him. But there was one thing about him that was pretty consistent...he was a ball of sunshine that bounced through our streets and sprinkled glitter and a happiness around for us all to share. He was our barefoot boy, our peter pan, our friend.

Stories:

"I had all these songs chronicling how happy I was at the beginning of the year, to my attempted suicide, to 'Oh, I’m not dead, now what?' I brought some scenes I wrote to my psychiatrist before I stopped going."

Please....... just get help. I wish I knew he had a history of this I would have been a little more alert. Oh well. I guess hind sight is well...... hindsight doesn't fucking matter anymore. You are gone and there is nothing any of us can do about it. I love you Josh. I love you and I fucking hate you all at once. I keep seeing your smile and hearing your big laugh in my mind and I wish it would go away but it wont because of how much I believed in you. You were like my son, my brother, and wise like a father. We all miss you so much today. We all just have one question: why?

I remember the first time you came to Herring as "Barefoot Boys" with Chris, singing such hits as "gay sex in the bathroom stall". I remember seeing a spark in you. Friends would say "this guys weird!" But you were my kinda fucking weird Josh. I was honored to make music with you. You were the harmony master. Guess I'm singing for two now.

I don't wanna look at your spot on the stage and not see you there, with a prop tambourine, just happy and grateful to be there. I said to you once "wear your battle armor on stage. Prepare for war." You made that spot all your own. Always learning and making us all smile when we were tired after a long weekend. Or going back and forth with the sound guy about where to put your mic.... you fucking diva..... ❤️

We will always have you on stage with us Josh. Your soul will be the wind that fills my lungs and brings change to this world. I promise you. We will carry the love you showed us every where. I already felt you there with us last night.

Please. If you are struggling there is help out there. People love you more than you may realize. And if you know a loved one who has attempted this in the past please check in with them frequently as you never know when they can go down that low.

I love you Glitter. Shine on.
- Mike Wood



Josh, you helped me when I was at my lowest point at Williams. Your hugs felt like sunshine, and you would stick your headphones in my ears and we would dance together in Paresky. We jammed in your room in the basement of Perry, we chilled in New York. You are so vibrant and a beautiful soul, you will be greatly missed. My heart breaks, but I know that now you can finally rest. I love you Josh, thank you for always creating smiles everywhere you went.
- Valerie González


During his sophomore winter study, Josh and I took The Bengsons cabaret class together. We lifted each other up as artists. He played guitar for me. He helped me with my song. He asked me to be his sidekick during his performance as a genderqueer merman. I was honored. His effusive talent and loving energy pervaded the entire performance.

But the one moment I will never forget was when he opened his home to myself and Joseph Alfred Baca III on our trip to New York. It was my first time traveling to New York without my parents. Josh made sure I got everywhere safely. He let me stay in his bed while he and Joseph slept on the floor. He made me pork chops at 1 am. He talked candidly about his life and asked Joseph and I to talk candidly about ours--our joys, our hardships--and he listened with love.

I miss Josh. I miss knowing that he was in the world, bringing sunshine to everyone he met. I wish we could have brought more sunshine to him. Depression is everywhere, even in the people with the biggest smiles, and it does us no good to ignore it. Josh never ignored it. Josh talked about it. He wrote a musical about it. He embraced it and maybe it would do us all some good to embrace it too--maybe we could make each other's burdens a little lighter.
- Gabrielle DiBenedetto


I thought of him as Puck, a magical nature sprite, garlanded with stars and shedding flower petals. I remember how he would hurl himself at you in a full body hug, head nestled right into your shoulder. His face was so beautiful, like that of a Renaissance angel-- those lips, the sparkly eyes, the dimples, the curls--all of it. His beauty and his affectionateness made me worry about him. Once he came to my house and I gave him a piece of my artwork for his band. He was so charmingly awestruck by the piece and by the fact that I gave it to him, I would have given him twenty more. I'm so sad that we have lost you, will delete maybe not.
- Misa Chappell

Known you for eight years and this is the only photo we have together. I wish you could see how many people love you, how many lives you've changed. You were my best friend at Liberty LEADS, when we were innocent to our own personal power but cognizant of the vicious cycle we were fighting against. Trading our childhood war stories like baseball cards, dancing the Time Warp was our violent protest. We were two fires heading in different directions, yet you were so visible from afar.

I thought you would make it out. You deserved it the most.

May you sleep in peace and rest in power. I love you, man.
- Erika Miguel


Yesterday we lost someone that this world really needed :( he was light in such a dark place and time. He had a glow about him that if you didn't know him, it instantly made you want to. I only met him a couple months ago but every time I saw him I could tell just how magical he really was. He was without a doubt the nicest person i have ever met! This world needs more people like him in it and it's so hearbreaking to know that he won't be shining here with us but I know he's above shining all his sparkly glitter love down on all of us still. Every time I hear Stevie Nicks I'm gonna think of you!! ❤Sending my love to all of Josh's loved ones who are struggling right now your in my heart! ❤
-Kaitlyn Malumphy

The first time I met May B. was at the Common Folk proposal meeting last winter where he proposed this badass anarchy acting improve to do the following summer. He was hands down the most radiant, loving, warm and inspiring person I've met in a long time. I didn't really get a chance to know you but thanks for all the little things, rest in peace and love.
-Samwise Fox

A month ago in Williamstown I went in silence and shame to a gas station to pick up a pack of cigarettes. Josh saw me as I pulled up and although he was leaving he jumped out of the passenger seat in a t-shirt, and in the freezing cold we caught up and shared some time together. Josh was a person that disrupted all the norms of society with a smile and whom you could be completely free around. He was free of judgment, filled with love. We failed to return that gift. Rest in peace, Josh.
- Donnie Kost

When I first met you, it was at the Parlor, where I've met many of the people that I love here. You were playing for Barefoot Boys and I was completely entranced with your charm. There was something about you that was so captivating that I couldn't understand. I didn't know how you did it. You were the kind of weird and strange that everyone adored. You taught us to own ourselves and to be bold with our art. To challenge it. You brought a different kind of sunshine that words can't describe. 
- Sweens

You didn't have to be close friends with Josh to be uplifted by his positive, unique and bold spirit. He was so creative and didn't care to conform to the norms. We really have lost a beautiful soul too soon. Grateful to have met him and been touched by his beautiful spirit. Only if the rest of the world were just as lucky ! Rest In Peace Josh.
- Kiyana Hanley


All I can think about right now is how unfair it is that such a beautiful soul is now lost to us.

May B. Knott, Josh, you introduced yourself to me as if you knew me my entire life. There was no hesitation in your voice, you just walked up to a bunch of upperclassmen with a chirp and smile. I knew I'd really like this kid. I desperately wish we could have talked more, hung out more. How could this happen? God.
- Malcolm Xavier Olds


I'm usually not one of those people, who make statuses in time of need or if I'm in pain... However I recently lost a friend of mine. May B. Knott. It's been on my mind really heavily since I got the news because no matter how close or far away I lived.. he always was there to talk to me. Josh was there for me in the darkest time of my life. Even after I left the city, he still would message me to check on me.... or tell me I'm the shit and stay fabulous. People like him don't come around often and I wish I was able to be there for him like he was for me so many times...
- Andréa C. Hunter-McIntosh


Josh, you did so much for me and all of the old souls words defy how much all you did for us and me always the most energy in the room always super happy and outgoing always told me how much you like me wearing red because it's the color of fire and energy and great things. I wish I told you before it was too late how much all you did meant. I think about the show I let you use my bass and how much of an honor it was to hear you play. You left your impact on all of us and I sincerely miss you. Everytime I step on stage now I will be thinking of you and the great energy you gave with all the people you've played with . You're memory lives in all of us. Thank you glitter we all miss you.
- Kevin Kp Paul


We had both just made our significant others watch Rent... This quote has never been more fitting:

"You always said how lucky you were that we were all friends... But it was us, baby. We were the lucky ones."

You shine brighter than anyone I've met. You brought someone so very close to me endless love and continuous smiles. Your heart was so accepting of me. You brought lasagna and donuts over on Thanksgiving and I hugged you thinking it was both hilarious and brilliant. No words are going to be nearly good enough to describe how great of a person you were and no precious gem will ever hold as much shine or brilliance. Thank you so much for the happiness you brought into the lives of my family and everyone else who met you. Rest easy knowing you will live on through the hearts of all those you touched.
- Heather Lonergan

After all these years of friendship, this is the only photo can find of us together (other than the all-cast Don't Tell Tommy shot).

Unless I'm in the right sort of mood, taking photos isn't really my thing, because I just want to enjoy the moment. But part of that is predicated on the belief that there will always be more time to do more together. To live more together.

I love that I have at least one photo with Josh. I love that it makes no freaking sense- why is a zombie chasing Daphne being chased by an acrobat? Is the acrobat contributing to the situation in any way? Why doesn't Daphne look like she is in more of a hurry? Why is the acrobat wearing wedges? Why does this particular zombie look so full of life? (Damn you, Josh. If you only you were here, you could help me answer these all-too important questions!)

I also love this photo, because it reminded my of that Halloween and it unleashed memories I had forgotten about. I've been spending time looking through our FB messages and Josh's photos trying to remember every little thing I can.

When Josh saw my costume, he was really excited. We always talked about doing a collaboration together- he would play music, and I would do some circus-y stuff. We never got around to it (mostly cuz I was focused on dealing with my shit at college and getting the hell out of there as soon as possible). I forgot that the two of us had orchestrated a mini-collaboration that night.

Josh thought it would be hilarious if I ran into the room where the Streeters were pregaming and just started doing handstands and random shit. So, we went up to the second floor in Dodd, and I stood a little distance away. He opened the door to the room. And I sprinted in. And in the empty spot in the middle of all the room, I did this mini-circus skit half-modeled on water-bending, half-modeled on this character in this fighting game who always wears assless chaps and does a lot of really unsettling backbends (MPR people help me out on this one? lol).

The Streeters were so freaking confused. Because only like one or two of them knew who I was. But I did some wild, unrehearsed contortion-dance for them. And then I ran out, and Josh slammed the door, and we went back to the party cracking up to high heaven. And then we danced. And I think Amalie joined us that night too. Dancing together. Halloween 2012. Happy times.
- Lilya PoZav


The first time I met Josh, I felt uncomfortable. And I continued to feel uncomfortable for a while. I felt uncomfortable because I still felt I owed the world an apology for being myself, and hated the person in the mirror who stared back at me. And there he was, someone both loud and unapologetic about who he was, completely comfortable in his own skin. A complete opposite. He was the person I hoped to become, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

Josh taught me that you don't owe anyone an apology for being yourself. That you don't have to hide in a corner and be as small as possible, being afraid to even cast a shadow. That the people who matter will rise to the occasion, and those who don't never merited the thought. I'm a better person for having met you, Josh, and I hope you're finally at peace.
- Gerardo Pelayo García



Wow...just found out that you're no longer with us. And I'm just sorry that this world tore you down like this. Such a bright soul truly deserves so much more. I hope that you have now found the peace that you could not find during your time on this earth.

You will be missed Josh
-Nikki Briana


Josh, I can't believe You're gone. From impromptu dinners to planning protests to spontaneous rabble-rousing, You brought love, life, and joy to everyone who was lucky enough to run into You. Your presence was a present. Much love with a heavy heart.

I'll miss You.
- Susmita Paul

Couldn't really find the words to say yesterday, but here goes...Josh Torres, I woke up this morning with you on my mind. Maybe it was your bold, audacious spirit. Maybe it was your smile. Maybe it was your confidence. Maybe it was your candor. What a gift you were to the world, Josh, but the world could not see it. Thank you for holding me gently in those moments at Mission Park. Thank you for your creative genius. Thank you for your unapologetic queerness. When I think of my time at college, you are part of the fabric of my experience.

A Facebook status in your memory does not suffice, but maybe we all need a little reminder to be more tender. I'm sorry that we, collectively, failed you.
- Yazmine Nichols

We gave each other roses within the past two months, he walked up to me at the gas pump with that cheeky smile and both hands behind his back.

(I had no idea what was in hand!)

I bought one at the Cumberland Farms in Williamstown not long after, and tried the same sneakiness while he was shopping. Josh caught me as I swiped the dark red rose off the counter, and that same smile began to break though this attempted surprise.

Beauty is ever-present, for all who remain here too.
- Derek Lonnie Lonergan‎