The Vivienne died on Sunday aged 32 (Image: Getty)
In the wake of , RuPaul’s DragCon has announced a heartfelt tribute to honour the late drag queen. The Vivienne, whose real name was James Lee Williams, sadly passed away at the age of 32, with the news confirmed by his publicist and friend Simon Jones.
In a statement, Jones said: “It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams – The Vivienne , has passed this weekend.”
He described James as an “incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person” and asked for privacy for the grieving family. Following this devastating news, RuPaul’s DragCon revealed on their page that they will be setting up a memorial booth at their upcoming event on January 10 and 11 at ExCeL London.
This will allow fans to pay their respects and celebrate the life of the iconic drag queen, who won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019.
They urged attendees to respect each other’s grief, writing: “As we all move through this weekend together, we know that many of us will want to celebrate The Vivienne by sharing condolences with those close to her. Please be mindful that we all process and experience grief differently and some people might not be ready yet to talk about the loss of someone important to them.”
In a touching tribute to The Vivienne, organisers of DragCon have set up a memorial booth space on the pink carpet for attendees to pay their respects.
The statement released said: “We’re providing a memorial booth space on the pink carpet where all the attendees of DragCon can go to pay tribute to The Vivienne, share condolences, and speak about it if they’re ready. We also have Switchboard LGBTQ+ helpline with us for the third year in a row, and if you need someone to talk with, they are there to listen. Please visit them at booth D26 if you need”, reports .
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The Vivienne won the first UK series of RuPaul’s Drag Race (Image: Getty)
The heartfelt message concluded with an anticipation of the weekend’s event: “We cannot wait to see everyone this weekend and fill the room with love.”
Colleagues from the drag community expressed their support in the comments, with Danny Beard saying: “Lovley! ! ! Thanks for doing this guys!” and Maxine LaQueene appreciating the gesture: “Thank you for offering space for people to grieve and give condolences to Viv.”
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The circumstances surrounding The Vivienne’s death remains unclear (Image: Getty)
The circumstances surrounding The Vivienne’s death remain unclear, but a recent police update has confirmed that no suspicious circumstances were found at the scene.
A Cheshire Police spokesperson informed that officers responded to a call at an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday regarding a sudden death.
They stated: “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.”