Sticky Vicky’s cause of death is revealed as Benidorm legend’s daughter describes her last moments in hospital
The grieving family of Benidorm legend Sticky Vicky have described the artist’s last moments in hospital before she died yesterday aged 80 from heart failure.
The mother-of-two, 80, died at around 6am yesterday at Villajoyosa Hospital near the seaside resort of Benidorm, where she rose to international fame.
Her daughter, MarĂa AragĂŒĂ©s Gadea, said Vicky sadly died on her 42nd birthday, adding that it was a day she “will remember for the rest of my life.”
‘My mother spent the last twelve days of her life in hospital and as a family we were with her and were able to say goodbye to her.
‘I was standing by her bedside when she died this morning. She died when they changed her morphine bottle,â she said The sun.
‘She passed away surrounded by her family, with all our love. I thank God that I can always be by her side, I am left with a broken heart,â Maria wrote on the official Sticky Vicky Facebook page yesterday.
“I regret these words, my mother Sticky Vicky passed away today at 6am, I can’t believe it,” her daughter (left) wrote on the official Sticky Vicky Facebook page
The exotic dancer, whose real name was Victoria MarĂa AragĂŒĂ©s Gadea, died early on Wednesday. According to reports, she had been ill for some time
Benidorm legend Sticky Vicky has died at the age of 80, it has been announced
Maria shared the news yesterday and wrote on her mother’s page to confirm her passing.
Vicky quit her act in 2016 at the age of 72, after wowing generations with her X-rated tricks that made creative use of household objects including ping-pong balls, razor blades and beer bottles.
As she grew older, she faced health complications, battled cancer and underwent at least two hip replacements.
Maria, who took over her mother’s business after her retirement, confirmed two years ago that her mother had “won her battle against cancer with radiotherapy and chemotherapy” but had since been diagnosed with dementia.
‘It’s something that came on quite recently and her memory is still good, but it’s clearly something that will get worse.
âI live with my mother and act as her full-time caregiver,â she said at the time.
Born in Tenerife in 1943, the trained ballet dancer, also known as Vicky Leyton, became an icon in the Spanish tourist city of Benidorm thanks to her exotic, x-rated performances of her vaginal magic show.
The mother-of-two moved to the city in south-east Spain in 1980, where she became a legend of the holiday hotspot visited by millions of British tourists.
Her show – which lasted more than three decades – involved pulling a variety of objects from her genitals, including ping-pong balls, razor blades, eggs, handkerchiefs and machetes.
It would end with the lights dimming and producing a lit light bulb.
An estimated six million people have seen the show – which she would invariably perform six times in an evening, six days a week – since she started it in the mid-1970s.
And she once marked the third series of ITV’s comedy show Benidorm starring Johnny Vegas by officially opening Mel’s Mobility Shop before it caught fire.
She was once described by a Benidorm guide as a ‘must-see’ that leaving without experiencing her show would be like buying fish without chips or turning on the TV to see Ant without Dec.
Vicky finally retired in 2016 at the age of 72 after being diagnosed with uterine cancer, and her daughter Maria Gadea Aragues has since taken over.
Vicky said she did not characterize herself or her show as pornographic.
‘To do what I do, you have to have a lot of sensitivity. It is necessary to give it a touch of elegance,â she said at the time.
She also once thanked the ‘English public’ for her success and said she never imagined she would have become a performer. âI never thought I could be on stage at my age and it’s all thanks to the English audience,â she said.
Vicky created her X-rated show after a magician friend taught her tricks during difficult times following the death of former dictator Francisco Franco, which simultaneously triggered the relaxation of sexual censorship in Spain.
She boasted that she stayed in shape thanks to regular workouts at the gym and a healthy lifestyle.
Tenerife-born Vicky (pictured in 2011) has entertained millions of tourists with her X-rated routines for 35 years. The mother-of-two moved to Benidorm, in south-east Spain, in 1980, where she became a legend of the holiday hotspot visited by millions of British tourists
The retired dancer – real name Victoria Aragues Gadea – was hospitalized earlier this year after breaking her knees while getting into a car
Vicky (right) is pictured with her daughter in a social media post. Maria Gadea Aragues continued her mother’s performance in Benidorm
Vicky continued performing her raunchy magic tricks well past normal retirement age, after postponing plans to hang up her props so she could fight rival performers she branded as cheats.
She once sued another adult entertainer, traditionally known as Sticky Barbara, after learning that she had registered the name Sticky Vicky as her own.
Judges sided with the real Sticky Vicky in 2009.
They said Spaniard Maria Rosa Pereira had acted ‘in bad faith’ and told Vicky Leyton that she was the legal owner of the trademark.
In July, she was hospitalized after hurting her knees getting into a car.
She was discharged after a few days in the hospital, but was quickly returned when she developed pain and a possible infection.
Her cause of death has not yet been officially announced.
Vicky’s daughter spoke at length two years ago about her mother’s battle with cancer and other health issues.
Barcelona-born Maria, who then combined her job as a full-time caregiver to the Benidorm legend with private lessons focusing on gymnastics, strength and stretching for children and athletes, including dancers, said at the time: ‘My mother won her battle against cancer with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but in just under a fortnight she will undergo her second hip replacement operation.
‘Everything has been postponed due to the corona pandemic. She currently uses a walker and requires assistance. She can’t be alone when she falls.
‘She also has early dementia. It’s something that happened fairly recently and her memory is still good, but it’s clearly something that will get worse. ‘I live with my mother and take care of her full time.
‘She’s 78 and obviously not as mobile as she used to be, but she still looks very beautiful. I don’t think she has ever had Covid and she has had her two vaccines.
‘She leads a quiet life and spends a lot of time at home, but hopefully she can get out a bit more once she has had her second hip operation.’
The grandmother-of-two had planned to return to the stage after her first hip operation, but shelved plans after discovering she had uterine cancer.
The veteran entertainer confirmed on her Facebook page in February 2016: ‘Just to let everyone know that the legend Sticky Vicky Leyton and her (…) daughter Demaria Leyton have both retired from sexy magic shows.
‘Vicky has retired at almost 73 to spend more time with her family and her daughter has other projects that have nothing to do with sexy magic shows.’
Although the 2016 statement suggested her daughter was retiring, she has since picked it up again and continues to perform to this day.
An estimated six million people have seen Vicky’s show since she started it in the mid-1970s. She was originally a ballet dancer
Vicky Leyton, also known as Sticky Vicky, puts on a show in her younger years
Sticky Vicky (right) is seen with her daughter, Maria Gadea (left)
With the news of her death, tributes poured in from Vicky’s fans, many of whom responded to her daughter’s post on Facebook.
âGod bless you and your family, your mother put Benidorm on the map,â one person wrote. ‘When you said ‘Benidorm’ everyone said Sticky Vicky.
‘What a beautiful woman, a real entertainer RIP.’
Another person wrote: ‘I was 14 years old when I first heard of your beautiful mother… I finally got to see her several times in my forties, and also your show…. In Benidorm will the night being dark now… after the loss of its greatest star… absolute legend… Blessings.’