A FRIEND of The Vivienne, has opened up about the abuse the drag queen suffered just days before their death.
James Lee Williams, who won the first series of RuPaul‘s Drag Race UK and placed third on skating competition Dancing On Ice in 2023, died at the weekend aged 32.
The news of Williams’s death was announced by their publicist, Simon Jones, on Sunday evening.
It’s believed the Drag Race star, who was just 32 years old at the time of their death, had passed away a day or two before their body was found.
Although a cause of death has not yet been given, police have confirmed they found “no suspicious circumstances”.
Now, Britain’s Got Talent drag queen Myra DuBois, real name is Gareth Joyner, has hit back at those who “bombarded” The Vivienne with abuse in their final weeks.
Myra urged people to “challenge transphobia when they encounter it”.
Taking to Instagram, BGT semi-finalist Myra wrote: “I don’t know how The Vivienne left us, and I will be respecting the family request for privacy by not trying to find out, or by fuelling rumours.
“I do know that after appearing on Blankety Blank over Christmas they were bombarded with a slew of homophobic abuse.
“I also know that the comments sections on posts announcing their passing are filling up with comments like ‘one less’ and ‘rest in hell’. I need you to know this. I want you to acknowledge this.
“To me, to your colleagues, to your family. I want you to acknowledge it when there are no LGBTQ+ people in the room with you.
“You can’t just post how sad you are when LGBTQ+ people die. I want you to ask if you’re doing everything you can to keep all LGBTQ+ people alive.”
Myra continued: “Do you make an effort to use pronouns that might not immediately make sense to you? Do you post comments of love so they drown out comments of hate? Do you oppose political parties who openly discriminate LBGTQ+ people even if they align with your beliefs elsewhere?
“I don’t care how you answer, it’s between you and yourself. But in the last few years, I have buried so many friends, all of them LGBTQ+, all of them taken too soon.
“And it is NOT because of the ‘lifestyle choice’. It’s the burden of shame. Society murders queers, and I am so, so angry.”
It comes after The Vivienne’s RuPaul Drag Race co-star Crystal wrote in The Metro about the homophobic abuse their “effortlessly funny, whip-smart” friend was subjected to before their death.
Crystal wrote: “It has shocked me. Losing a friend so young is a real gut punch – it doesn’t feel real. But the shock and sadness is heightened because I know her final days were spent on the receiving end of abuse and homophobia.”
In the weeks prior to the tragedy, The Vivienne had continued to shine in their glittering career.
As well as playing The Childcatcher in a national tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, they also starred in a Boxing Day episode of Blankety Blank – following in the footsteps of drag icon Lily Savage.
Tributes poured in after news of The Vivienne’s tragic death broke.
Mr Jones, The Vivienne’s manager, wrote that Williams, who was born in Wales and later moved to Liverpool, was an “incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person”.
He added that Williams would be remembered for their “immense talent” and “the light they brought to every room was astonishing”.
Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse remembered The Vivienne for being a “phenomenal entertainer” and “trailblazer”.
Fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon said the star made a “mark in our hearts“.
RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage paid tribute to Williams, writing that their death was “heartbreaking”.
A spokesman for Cheshire Police said officers had been called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday following reports of a sudden death.
The spokesman said: “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.”
