RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne died earlier this year and their inquest into their death has opened today.
The inquest, which is being held at Cheshire Coroner’s Court, Museum Street, Warrington, will look into the circumstances of the star’s death, after it was sadly announced on January 5 that they had passed away suddenly.
The Vivienne, whose birth name was James Lee Williams, won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and came third on the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice. Their publicist, Simon Jones, announced the sad news at the beginning of the year, writing that The Vivienne was an “incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person”.
In a post on Instagram, the PR guru added: “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.”
The Vivienne, who was born in Wales and later moved to Liverpool, was just 32-years-old at the time of their death. Their passing came just days after appearing on TV over the festive season, starring on a Christmas special of the beloved BBC classic Blankety Blank.
The drag icon’s cause of death is yet to be announced publicly and minimal details about their tragic passing have been shared. “We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve,” Simon Jones wrote as he announced his client’s death on social media.
It has been reported that The Vivienne’s body was discovered by their devastated father and stepmother. Police previously confirmed they were called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday January 5 following reports of a sudden death.
“Their devastated dad raised the alarm and believed they had passed away a day or two before being found,” a source told the Sun. “James was due to move to a £400,000 house next week, and had a holiday lined up. They were planning a tour and really had everything to live for.”
The Vivienne was the very first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. They previously revealed the meaning behind their stage name and how they chose their alter-ego’s title before winning the BBC Three show in 2020. The Vivienne also competed on an all-winners season of the RuPaul franchise in the US in 2022, the only UK contestant for that series.
The Vivienne explained their name saying: “I love Vivienne Westwood and when I moved to Liverpool everyone used to call me Vivienne as I was head to toe in Westwood. So when I started doing drag it was a natural progression, but I didn’t want one of those cheap, nasty, slutty drag names so I thought of ‘The Vivienne’ and here she is, there’s only one of them.”
The late star was also a rising star in the world of theatre and performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical, reprising the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last year. They were due to be back on tour in February performing in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical in the role of the Childcatcher.
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