RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner dies age 32

James Lee Williams, best known as The Vivienne, the first ever winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, has died aged 32, a representative for the star has confirmed.

In a statement, Cheshire Police confirmed that officers were called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, approximately four miles from Chester, at 12:22pm on Sunday (5 January).

Police have established that there are “no suspicious circumstances” surrounding the drag star’s death.

“Police attended, investigated the circumstances of the death of the 32-year-old man and concluded there were no suspicious circumstances. A file will be prepared for the coroner,” a police representative told Metro.

Writing in a post on Instagram on 5 January, publicist Simon Jones confirmed that the “incredibly loved” drag performer and actor died over the weekend.

“It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne, has passed this weekend.

“James was an incredibly loved, warmhearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career.

“We will not be releasing any further details,” the statement added. “We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve.”

As The Vivienne, Williams first gained national notoriety in the UK drag scene after being anointed the first “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Ambassador” by RuPaul in 2015.

They went on to become the first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019, becoming a household name in Britain. During her run on Drag Race, she was open about her battle with addiction, saying she hoped to “help people along the way”.

Williams, who was born in Wales but began her drag career in her hometown Liverpol in the late 2000s, then returned to the beloved drag show in 2022, as part of All Stars 7, the first-ever all-winners’ season. 

She has since appeared as a contestant on ITV’s Dancing On Ice in 2023 – where she made it to the final with professional partner Colin Grafton – and appeared on stage as The Wicked Witch of the West in the 2024 West End revival of The Wizard of Oz.

In 2019, Williams and his former partner David Ludford became the first couple to marry at legendary gay nightclub Heaven. Williams confirmed that the pair had separated in 2023.

In June 2023, Williams was assaulted in a homophobic attack in a McDonald’s restaurant in Liverpool. The perpetrator, scaffolder Alan Whitfield, 51, was handed a 12-week suspended sentence in January 2024.

The Vivienne’s final TV appearance aired in December, when she joined the celebrity line-up for a Christmas edition of classic gameshow Blankety Blank alongside dance Oti Mabuse, singer Jane McDonald and presenter Jonathan Ross.