RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne died from a cardiac arrest after taking ketamine, the performer’s family has revealed.
The Vivienne, 32, whose real name was James Lee Williams, was found dead in the bathroom of their home, in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, on January 5 this year, an inquest in February heard.
‘I hope that by us releasing this information, we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body,’ The Vivienne’s manager and friend Simon Jones told Attitude Magazine.
‘Ketamine usage is on the rise, particularly amongst young people, and I don’t think the full dangers of the drug are being discussed ,’ Jones added.
A post mortem found The Vivienne’s cause of death was ‘unnatural’, a coroner was told during the February hearing, but no further information was revealed about how the TV star died.
The body of the star, real name James Lee Williams was identified to police by their father, Cheshire Coroner’s Court heard. There were no suspicious circumstances.
Area coroner Victoria Davies adjourned the brief hearing for a full inquest in June.
The Vivienne were catapulted to international fame after winning the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019. But amid their rise to fame, Williams also battled with drug addiction – something they openly spoke about in the past.
RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vivienne (pictured) died from a cardiac arrest after taking ketamine, the performer’s family has revealed
The drag star, real name James Lee Williams (pictured out of drag) died on January 5 aged 32
News of their sudden and unexpected death in January sparked an outpouring of grief, with hundreds of family, friends and fans gathering in their adopted home city Liverpool to release green balloons into the air to The Vivienne’s favourite songs from Wicked.
Mourners including Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Kim Woodburn, Jade Thirlwall, Aston Merrygold and Claire Sweeney attended the TV star’s funeral in Denbighshire, North Wales.
The crown and sceptre The Vivienne won on Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK were carried into the church ahead of their coffin, family and a host of stars.
Many wore green for the service while Vivienne Westwood badges were worn on the lapels of some of the men’s suits.
Floral tributes in the hearse read ‘Vivienne’, ‘James’ and ‘Son’. A fourth was made up of purple flowers in the shape of a witch’s hat – a nod to their Wizard Of Oz stint.
Born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, Williams grew up watching Lily Savage on TV, citing that as their first exposure to drag.
Describing Wales as a ‘big-fish-in-a-small-pond situation’, the star moved to Liverpool aged 16 to pursue a career as a makeup artist, first working on the beauty counter in Debenhams.
It was there that they earned their nickname The Vivienne for dressing entirely in Vivienne Westwood, developing their budding passion for drag while going out with friends in the evenings.
Williams shot to wider fame after winning the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
The Vivienne was identified by their father, Cheshire Coroners’ Court heard (file picture of the star arriving at the British Soap Awards in 2023)
The Vivienne’s funeral took place arrives at a church in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire
They competed in the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars in 2022 and finished third on Dancing On Ice in 2023.
During their career, 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.
They also starred in BBC Three show The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood in 2020, and appeared on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted For Stand Up To Cancer in 2022.
However Williams also struggled with drug addiction, previously saying: ‘It was party drugs – but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party.’
After acknowledging they needed to seek help, Williams underwent treatment at The Armistead Centre in Liverpool.
The Vivienne was due to be back on tour in February performing in The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical in the role of the Childcatcher.
The news of Williams’ death was announced by Jones, who described Williams as an ‘incredibly loved’ and ‘amazing person’.
Tributes quickly poured in from co-stars, friends and loved ones.
The Vivienne (seen here in a file picture in 2022 from their appearance on Dancing on Ice) died suddenly last month
EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘What devastating news. Sleep easy beautiful soul. Thank you for being you.’
Paying tribute on Instagram, Oti Mabuse said: ‘Some news hits you harder than others and stops you in your tracks. I absolutely loved The Viv. A beautiful human being, funny, kind, a trailblazer, creative and so warm.’
RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage paid tribute to Williams, writing that their death was ‘heartbreaking’.
The star’s full inquest is scheduled to take place on June 30 at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington overseen by senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish.
