A well-known burlesque performer who went by the stage name, "Sparkly Devil," was killed early Sunday morning in a suspected drunken-driving crash involving a party bus. And now, her husband faces charges in her death, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Jim Sweeney, producer of the Hubba Hubba Revue in San Francisco, identified the 36-year-old woman as an internationally known burlesque dancer, whose real name is Sarah Klein and who lived in San Mateo. She also wrote about entertainment art form for magazine and alternative weekly newspapers, and served as the media spokesperson for the burlesque entertainment venue.
"She was an incredible performer," Sweeney told NBC Bay Area on Monday in a phone interview. "And she was a great friend to the burlesque community. We feel her loss greatly."
Raul Padilla, her 43-year-old husband, who was driving and was taken to Stanford Medical Center in critical condition, is likely to be charged with drinking and driving, or possibly vehicular manslaughter, depending on the level of alcohol in his system, according to CHP Officer Art Montiel.
Padilla was driving the red Honda that appeared to have slammed into a center divider on U.S. 101 before coming to rest facing oncoming traffic, which is when he and his wife were hit by the party bus, Montiel said.
The couple had ``consumed alcohol'' before the crash, but toxicology tests would have to be conducted to determine if Padilla had been OK to drive, Montiel said. Neither were wearing seat belts, he said. Courts were closed on Memorial Day, and it was unclear whether Padilla had any type of driving troubles in the past.
According to Sweeney, the couple was on their way home to the Peninsula from San Francisco. Sparkly had performed at the Hubba Hubba Revue the night before.
In addition to the couple, nine others suffered less serious injuries when a party bus carrying 18 passengers ran head-on into Padilla's car that was stopped on a highway south of San Francisco, authorities said. A CHP collision report listed the party bus driver as Anderson Davis, 67, of Berkeley. Officers said he suffered moderate injuries but refused medical attention.
Ten passengers in the party bus were taken to either Stanford or San Francisco General hospitals, according to the CHP. They include: Jeckrie Unabia, 28, and Haydee Martinez, 27, of Santa Clara; Julienne Sagun, 22, and Joshua Tan, 28, of Mountain View; and May Ann Granale, 45, and Carlos Cambia Jr., 30, of San Jose, Tola Magee, 30, of San Rafael; Mariel Joy Garnace, 21, of San Jose; and Herland Martinez, 24, of Santa Clara. Another passenger got a ride with a family member to the hospital.
Sparkly's website calls her a mixture of "sass and class," and her resume includes six performances at the Miss Exotic World Burlesque Pageant in Las Vegas, four New York Burlesque Festivals, three Tease-o-Ramas and more. She was profiled in Comcast's "Something Weird" series and two episodes of TLC's reality series, "LA Ink." In the Bay Area, she also performed at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, along with the Hubba Hubba Revue.
Burlesque comes from the Italian word, burlesco, which means to joke or mock. It's now known as a dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter through caricature. It's also know in the United States to be performed at cabaret clubs, and features bawdy comedy and strip teases. In some of Sparkly's videos on YouTube, she is seen coughing up fake blood in a Zombie piece and stripping down to a red bikini bottom and tassles in another.
She relocated to San Francisco in 2007, according to her profile. Sweeney said he knew Padilla and called him a musician and a "nice guy." He said he did not know if he was known to drink and drive before.
The crash in Redwood City about 25 miles south of San Francisco was just a few miles away from the San Mateo Bridge, where five women heading to a bridal party were killed in a limousine fire three weeks ago.
The southbound side of U.S. 101 was closed for about two hours for the investigation.
The bus, which was towed to an impound yard, was equipped with seatbelts, but Montiel did not know how many, if any, of the passengers were wearing them at the time of the crash. Bus passengers in California are not required to wear seatbelts, Montiel said.
Sparkly was supposed to have performed on Thursday in Las Vegas at The Orleans Casino during the International Burlesque Hall of Fame. People from around the country were posting thoughts and memories about Sparkly on her Facebook site throughout the day.
To see Sparkly Devil perform at the Hubba Hubba Revue in 2010, click here:
The Associated Press's John S. Marshall contributed to this report.
Photo Credit: Hubba Hubba Revue/Kat Bret Photography