RuPaul has said his “heart is broken” following the sudden death of Drag Race UK champion The Vivienne.
On 5 January, The Vivienne’s publicist Simon Jones shared “with immense sadness” that the iconic drag entertainer had passed away at the age of 32.
RuPaul joined “the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne”, who he described as an “incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being”.
In 2015, RuPaul memorably crowned The Vivienne as the UK ambassador for RuPaul’s Drag Race. Four years later, she competed on the first-ever season of the UK series alongside queens such as Divina De Campo, Baga Chipz, Cheryl Hole, Crystal and Blu Hydrangea, winning the title of the ‘UK’s First Drag Race Superstar’.
The Vivienne, birth name James Lee Williams, made her comeback to the franchise in 2022 for All Stars 7, a season comprising only of former winners.
Outside of Drag Race, The Vivienne was well-known in the UK for appearances on shows such as Celebrity Juice, Emmerdale, Celebrity Mastermind, Celebrity Karaoke Club, and I Like to Watch UK. In 2023, she made history as the first drag artist to compete on Dancing on Ice, where she placed third.
Last year, she made her West End debut as The Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.
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Following Jones’ announcement of The Vivienne’s death, thousands of fans and queens within the Drag Race fandom mourned the star and paid tribute to her iconic legacy.
Monét X Change called her All Stars 7 sister and Netflix collaborator “one of the brightest stars that I’ve ever seen shine, and with beauty beyond compare”.
Yvie Oddly wrote: “Completely gutted. The world knew you for your immaculate poise, your immeasurable talent, and unbelievable beauty, but today we lost so much more. Thank you for your compassion, humanity, and your punk rock fighting spirit. Save me some mcfries in the next life sister.”
Baga Chipz called The Vivienne her “beautiful, talented, mad, bestest friend in the whole world”: “What am I gonna do now without you? Who am I gonna be naughty with? A couple of naughty buggers always up to mischief and playing up.
“Being on Drag Race has its ups and its downs, But I wouldn’t change anything for the world because it brought me to you. You will always be the Velma to my Louise and I’ll always talk to you before I go onstage for every single show I do because let’s face it you were a bloody power house when you hit that stage.”
She continued: “You taught me the true meaning of sisterhood but more importantly you taught me how to do a cut crease. I’m sending all my love to your mama and family, me and the girls will always be there for them. I’m gonna bloody miss you friend.”
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