Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne was found dead in the bathroom of their home, an inquest heard today.
A post mortem found their cause of death was ‘unnatural’, a coroner was told, 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 died suddenly last month at an address in Cheshire aged just 32.
They 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.
The Vivienne (seen here in a file picture in 2022 from their appearance on Dancing on Ice) died suddenly last month
The drag star, real name James Lee Williams (pictured out of drag) died on January 5 aged 32
An inquest heard today the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner was found dead in the bathroom from ‘unnatural causes’ (pictured: a vigil held in Liverpool for them on January 12)
Coroner’s officer Amanda Edgar told the two-minute hearing in Warrington that Williams was found dead at their home address in Chorlton-by-Backford on January 5 this year.
‘Mr Williams was found dead in the bathroom of his home address,’ she said.
Police attended and confirmed there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’, the area coroner was told.
A post mortem had identified ‘an unnatural cause of death’, Ms Edgar added.
Williams’ body was identified to a police officer by his father, Lee Williams, she said.
‘It is requested that an inquest be opened and adjourned for further work to be completed,’ she added.
The coroner agreed to adjourn proceedings, saying it was ‘appropriate’ to allow ‘further investigation’ to take place given Williams’ ‘unnatural’ cause of death.
A review hearing was scheduled for May 5 with a full inquest to take place on June 30.
No family or friends attended the hearing, with only members of the press in attendance.
News of their sudden and unexpected death last month 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.
Last month 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 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
Floral tributes with the coffin included ‘Vivienne’ and ‘James’. The funeral was attended by a host of stars
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.
Cheshire Police said officers were called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford at 12.22pm on Sunday January 5 following reports of a sudden death.
There were ‘no suspicious circumstances’, they said.
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.
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.
Colin Grafton and The Vivienne during a photo call for Dancing On Ice 2023 (left) and the star with RuPaul at DragCon in London in 2020 (right)
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 this month performing in The Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical in the role of the Childcatcher.
The news of Williams’ death was announced by their publicist Simon Jones, who described Williams as an ‘incredibly loved’ and ‘amazing person’.
Tributes quickly poured in from co-stars, friends and loved ones.
EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘What devastating news. Sleep easy beautiful soul. Thankyou 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.
