RuPaul breaks silence on death of Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne
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The Vivienne’s publicist announced the drag star’s death in an Instagram post on January 5. On Monday (January 6) the television show host turned to Instagram to share a photo of him and James Lee Williams following their death, which was first announced on Sunday (January 5). In addition to winning the first season of Drag Race UK, they placed third on the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.
![[The Vivenne won the first season of ‘Drag Race UK’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/06/10/newFile-1.jpg)
“With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne—an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being,” RuPaul captioned the post. The news of the 32-year-old’s death was first revealed by their publicist, Simon Jones, who shared a statement on social media.
“It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend,” Jones said. “James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted, and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother, and uncle.”.
The statement continued: “They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career.”. Jones concluded: “We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve.”. In a separate post, he said these were words he “never wanted to write,” adding: “No one has ever made me laugh in my life as much as Viv did. Their comic genius and quick wit was like no other.”.
