James Lee Williams, a drag artist and winner of the inaugural season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK,” better known by his stage name The Vivienne, died over the weekend. There were 32 of them.
Williams’ death was announced in a statement by their manager, Simon Jones, who cited no cause.
Williams, who adopted the stage name out of a love of dressing in Vivienne Westwood clothing, became known as one of the world’s most recognizable drag queens after winning the first season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.”
On the show, The Vivienne was known for her comedic and vocal impersonations – particularly that of Donald Trump – and spoke about struggling with substance abuse and recovery.
“La Viv is a perfect example of a 21st century British queen,” RuPaul said in the 2019 finale.
James Lee Williams was born on April 12, 1992 in Colwyn Bay, Wales. At 16, Williams moved to Liverpool, England to pursue a career as a makeup artist. It was in Liverpool that they earned the nickname Vivienne for dressing Vivienne Westwood “from head to toe” and discovered a passion for drag, Williams said in a 2020 interview with the Sunday Times.
“One night I saw some drag queens in a club and I was amazed,” Williams said in the interview. “These people were getting paid to have a great night and entertain people. I knew straight away that this was what I wanted to do.”
Williams began performing and leaned on the nickname of a stage name. “I didn’t want one of those cheap, disgusting drag names,” Williams said in the Sunday Times interview.
In a 2019 interview with the BBC, Williams described Vivienne as someone “who made money, moved to Los Angeles and ruined everything and then had to move back to Liverpool”.
“I like to look really fierce, but I like to be hilarious on stage, so I’m kind of old school and new school combined, and I think it works,” Williams said in the interview.
In 2015, The Vivienne beat out 20 other artists in a one-day competition hosted by RuPaul. Four years later, Williams auditioned for and ultimately won the inaugural series of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.”
Williams then appeared in the seventh season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars” as Vivienne and was a finalist on the British series “Dancing on Ice” in 2023.
Williams had also built a career in musical theater, appearing as the Wicked Witch of the West in the British and Irish tours of “The Wizard of Oz” and at the West End’s Gillian Lynne Theatre.
Williams had just finished touring as Vivienne with the production “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” playing the role of “the child catcher,” and would reprise the role on tour in February, according to WestEndTheatre.com, a British theater news outlet. site.
“I think being an amazing artist is great, but I just think being able to relate to someone who is a little bit ordinary is way more endearing than having all the skills in the world,” Vivienne said on the RuPaul’s Drag finale. Race in the UK, according to the BBC. “I don’t have all the skills in the world, but what I do have are the tools to make someone feel good about themselves.”