goodbye, stella

We're very sad to hear that frankie friend Stella Young passed away yesterday. Quite apart from being an excellent sometime-writer for us, Stella was hilarious, inappropriate, stylish and smart, and a straight-talking advocate for disability rights. She told us – and the public – many times not to feel inspired by her just because she was disabled. ("There's no need to praise us just for going about our business. Going to the shops to buy milk doesn't take any more courage for me than it does for you!") But for a life well-lived, a clever and dirty mind, a knack for making friends, a boggling range of knowledge and an extensive collection of awesome shoes – yeah, we're going to be inspired by that. Sorry, Stella. Thanks for being a friend.

Photo taken by Hilary Walker for frankie issue 44.