Former Detroit Writer And Burlesque Performer Dies In Car Accident

DETROIT (WWJ) - A former Detroit writer who became a renowned burlesque performer died in an accident over the weekend near San Francisco.

Before Sarah Klein became known as "Sparkly Devil" in the modern burlesque scene, she was a culture editor for the Metro Times.

Former Managing Editor W. Kim Heron says Klein wrote some of the most read articles in the Metro Times before she left in 2006 for California. She became known for her comedic, racy performances in the modern burlesque scene.

"She was someone you couldn't replace, there really was a kind of a story that was a Sarah Klein story and you lose Sarah Klein and you lose those kinds of stories," Heron told WWJ's Zahra Huber.

"There is this exuberant expressiveness to her and she sought out that in others, both personally and those were the people she liked to write about. She wrote some of the most read articles at Metro Times while she was there."

Heron described Klein as exuberant -- and it showed in her work as well as her personal life as a burlesque performer:

"That really fit her personality ... that's the expressiveness of Sarah," said Heron. "And that's the outlet she found for it."

Thirty-six-year-old Klein died when she and her husband were involved in a crash with a party bus south of San Francisco. Her husband is in critical condition.

"There's a little less sparkle in the world without Sarah Klein," said Heron.