An iconic Toronto nightclub that served as a hotspot for the city’s 2SLGBTQ+ and Latin community, abruptly shuttered this week after 35 years.In a statement shared late Thursday evening on social media, the owner of El Convento Rico announced the sudden closure of the longtime College Street establishment due to circumstances they claimed were beyond their control.“Tonight, we say goodbye to 750 College St. – a place that became so much more than four walls. It became a home, a stage, a refuge, a family, and a place where so many of us were able to laugh, dance, love, celebrate, and simply be ourselves,” the post read.Since 1992, El Convento Rico had served as a popular nightspot in Little Italy that played a mix of Latin and Top 40 music. It also hosted a midnight drag show that featured dozens of local performers for more than three decades.The club had been selling tickets for events slated to happen on Friday and Saturday, which have since been cancelled.The sudden and unexpected closure elicited a strong reaction from Canada’s Drag Race star Van Goth, who recalled “many memorable nights” playing some of her first gigs at the underground nightclub.“The news about Rico’s closing is very sad,” the artist told CityNews. “Nightlife, and specifically queer nightlife, has taken hit after hit since the pandemic and with the current political climate it’s disheartening to see a space that has been a staple in Toronto for 35 years close down.”Other patrons also responded with shock and sadness, noting a “massive loss for the community.”CityNews reached out to the nightclub’s owner to learn more about the circumstances leading to the closure, but has yet to receive a response.