The Vivienne lived a public life since their rise to fame in 2019's first UK season of RuPaul's Drag Race, with a marriage breakdown and a struggle with drug addiction
11:48, 06 Jan 2025Updated 11:49, 06 Jan 2025
Tributes for The Vivienne following the announcement of their death have been flooding in, from famous friends to former partners.
The TV personality, 32, who rose to fame on Ru Paul's Drag Race, with their PR manager confirming the sad news on Sunday evening. Simon Jones said The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, was an "incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person" in an online post shared over Instagram and X. Now, Viv's former husband, David Ludford, shared a post about the devastating news.
The Viv's life was full of ups and downs, with the star being open about a previous drug addiction as they rose to fame in 2019. Viv appeared on a BBC show just a week before their death, with police currently treating the death as "unsuspicious."
Career highlights
The Vivienne had been a drag queen for years before they appeared on the first UK season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2019. The star made their TV debut named for their frequent wear of Vivienne Westwood clothing.
Born in Colwyn Bay, Wales, April 1992, Williams grew up watching Lily Savage on TV, siting that as their first exposure to drag. They moved to Liverpool and ended up working at a beauty counter while trying to peruse drag in their spare time.
Viv managed to bag the win of the first season after sharing impressive runway looks, displaying great humour and growing close to other contestants such as best friend, Baga Chipz.
From there, they gained more fame as they went on to feature in several television shows, such as BBC's Blankety Blank, ITV's Dancing on Ice and even returned to the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars edition. The Viv even came third in Dancing on Ice in 2023, alongside professional Colin Grafton.
While on Dancing on Ice, rumours flew around that this partnership caused the end of his marriage with long-term partner and husband David, but this has later been disproved by him. Viv came from the Liverpool drag scene, but soon became a household drag named and collaborated with several brands, such as Netflix.
Love life
The Viv was married to David since 2019, but the pair announced their split in 2023, soon after Viv's participation in Dancing on Ice. While there was speculation this caused the end of their marriage, David has opened up since their split and revealed that was not the case.
Following the announcement of Viv's passing, David shared a touching tribute. David, a who runs a company selling wigs for drag queens called Drag Helmet Wigs, wrote: "This man changed my life so much from the day we first met in August 2017 in Gran Canaria!!
He said they "clicked straight away" and "did so much together, it was like a whirlwind". He wouldn't have changed anything about the time they spent together, despite their divorce. David said James made him "feel love" and showed him "what it was really like to love someone".
He added: "You will always have a place in my heart. Going to miss you more than people will ever know. Sleep tight angel." David and James tied the knot in December 2019 at London's famous gay club, Heaven, and were the first couple to get married at the iconic venue, which was decorated with trees and flowers.
In April 2023, The Vivienne confirmed their break-up, writing on Instagram: "As many may have noticed, David and I have been apart recently. We have made the decision to part ways after an amazing five and a half years. We are still very much friends, but sometimes life gets in the way and people grow apart."
The statement continued: "We wish each the absolute best and will always be part of each others lives. We'd ask that you please respect our privacy at this time. Thank you. James and David."
Drug addiction
While the Viv was a source of much laughter and joy for many, they were open about their tough struggle with drug addiction while in the spotlight. Opening up about their drug addiction, Williams previously said: "It was party drugs - but I couldn't leave the drugs at the party."
Six years ago, she made a make-or-break move to Gran Canaria after getting hooked on drugs while working in Liverpool’s club scene. Medics feared she could die from her addiction to ketamine after she was hospitalised three times in a month.
After acknowledging they needed to seek help, Williams underwent treatment at The Armistead Centre in Liverpool. From there, she managed to overcome her addiction. “Some guys I knew from Gran Canaria... asked me to do a gig in Pride,” recalled The Vivienne at the time.
“I did it, I was there for a week and I felt like myself and I hadn’t touched anything for a week.”
The Vivienne's passing
Viv's death was shared via an online post shared by their manager, Simon. He wrote: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend. James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career.
“We will not be releasing any further details.” The news was met with a flood of support and tributes from fans and celebrity fans, including Ariana Grande, Oti Mabuse, Michelle Visage, Rylan Clarke, Danny Beard and several others.
The cause of death has not yet been released, but Police revealed they are working on the case currently. A spokesman for Cheshire Police said officers had been called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday (January 5) following reports of a sudden death.
The spokesman shared: "Police attended, investigated the circumstances of the death of the 32-year-old man and concluded there were no suspicious circumstances. A file will be prepared for the coroner."
It was only days before this sad revelation that The Vivienne appeared on BBC’s Blankety Blank celebrity special. At the time, her appearance was met with some backlash as people were annoyed, with some viewers moaning about "yet another drag queen" online.
However, fans clapped back and suggested this is not a new phenomenon, with the show previously featuring Lily Savage. One user noted: "Blankety Blank the show that was hosted by a drag queen for years?"
Another joked: "Blankety Blank? With a drag queen?! Never thought I’d see the day!!!!"
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