has died after a brief battle with COVID-19. Soletto was 74 and leaves behind a husband he was with for over 50 years.Soletto, once an employee of the Stonewall Inn, was dancing in a birdcage at the iconic New York City bar when it was raided by police on June 28, 1969.
Speaking to StoryCorps last year, Soletto described how a Black drag queen took action as police charged through the bar, attempting to arrest patrons and staff simply for being inside a gay establishment. "She was the first one to break the chair and use it as a nightstick against the police," Soletto said of the queen, though he couldn't recall her name. "I always admired her."Soletto was trapped in the birdcage as chairs and bottles flew below him.