RuPaul, many past contestants, and fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race mourned the loss of UK Season 1 fan favorite The Vivienne yesterday. The television host and legendary drag queen took to her Instagram to publicly remember the Welsh drag performer.
The Vivienne’s, also known as James Lee Williams, passing came as a shock to the drag community. Many went to social media to pay their respects to the Season 1 UK winner, including Ru. The 64-year-old’s Instagram post was simple and sweet and involved the entirety of the show community in missing the wonderful queen. Check the post out for yourself below:
The post is a sweet throwback of RuPaul with The Vivienne out of drag. Comments from fans and other queens are full of love and reflectiveness in remembering the All Stars Season 7 alum. Even as a newer fan of the show (and still working through all of the US material) I feel the loss this is for everyone who knew or loved them. Williams will be missed and the community mourning the loss of them will only strengthen everyone’s bonds, the comments are proof:
- ❤️❤️❤️- bagachipz
- You meant the world to her! Sending love 🤍- thedannybeard
- Such a huge loss💔- kyranthrax
- She is gonna be remembered by so many as one of the funniest, fastest and fiercest queens ever. RIP @thevivienne_ - barbiebreakout
- A huge loss 🤍- elektrafence
The Vivienne had successes beyond her Drag Race roots. They were a noted singer/performer with an album Bitch on Heels amongst other non-album singles. Within the past couple of years, they had begun a promising stage career, including roles in The Wizard of Oz as well as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on tour in the UK. They are cherished and remembered fondly within their stage and drag career, and beyond.
The news of the 32-year-old’s tragic passing comes during the 17th Season of the American Drag Race, a part of our 2025 TV schedule. It has easily become one of the best reality shows because of the queens who leave it all out there. That and the final format continues to evolve to fit the needs of the show, keeping up with what surprises and interests the fans most–Season 16 included.
The Vivienne will be missed greatly but has left a legacy showcasing how wonderful the drag community can be and is. It’s great to see RuPaul and others paying tribute to Williams publicly and with much love. I’ll be doing the same by rewatching some of my favorite Drag Race moments and a few of my favorite drag performances in movies.
If you’d like to watch past seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race you can do so with a Paramount+ subscription. To watch Season 17, you’ll need a Philo subscription or access to MTV through a cable provider.
