RuPaul Charles has paid tribute to drag queen The Vivienne, hailing their passion for “love and life” at the opening of RuPaul’s DragCon UK event in east London.
The death of James Lee Williams, whose drag name was The Vivienne, was announced last weekend.
The 32-year-old star won the first UK series of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2019 and came third on the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.
Drag queen and TV presenter RuPaul, who hosts the UK, American and Australian versions of the popular reality competition, told the crowd at the Excel in London on Friday that he was “here to celebrate life, to celebrate love”.
He added: “We are here to start these festivities, but before we do that, we want to focus on love, and we’re going to remember our dear The Vivienne, with love, life, and that’s what she was all about.
“She would love for you to live your lives and to be free and to have a lot of fun and to spread it around, isn’t that right?”
The DragCon event, which bills itself as the largest gathering of Drag Race queens and fans in the world, is a two-day convention at the Excel in the UK capital, finishing on Saturday.
Michelle Visage, a RuPaul’s Drag Race judge, wore a black T-shirt with The Vivienne’s name on it while appearing alongside RuPaul at the event’s launch.
RuPaul previously said on Instagram that his heart was “broken” after the news of the tragedy, and that he was “mourning the loss of The Vivienne – an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being,” while Visage called them “a beacon to so many“.
A memorial wall and book were put up for fans and performers at the event to write messages remembering the late performer.
The written posts included RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestants Charity Kase and Alexis Saint-Pete.
English performer Kase wrote: “The world was better with you in it.”
Polish drag queen Saint-Pete wrote: “We love you so much and miss you even more.”
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The Vivienne’s rise as a drag ‘trailblazer’
The Vivienne rose to prominence in 2015 after becoming the UK Drag Ambassador for the American series of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
After winning the UK version of the show, they competed on an all-winners season of the RuPaul franchise in the US in 2022, starred in BBC Three show The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood in 2020, and was on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up To Cancer in 2022.
The shock news of their death prompted an outpouring of tributes from celebrities and colleagues including ex-EastEnders star Patsy Palmer, Coronation Street actor Antony Cotton, Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, and former Strictly pro dancer and Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse.
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Williams, who was born in Wales and later moved to Liverpool, performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical and reprised the role in the West End last year.
They were due to be back on tour next month performing in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical in the role of the Childcatcher.
Cheshire Police confirmed they had been called to a home in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday following reports of a sudden death.
They said there were “no suspicious circumstances,” and said a file is being “prepared for the coroner”.
