When news broke on Sunday evening that drag artist The Vivienne had died at the age of 32, thousands of people took to social media to pay tribute.
The performer, whose real name was James Lee Williams, was one of the breakout stars of the BBC series RuPaul’s Drag Race – the reality TV show in which drag queens compete for host RuPaul to be named his ‘superstar’.
The Vivienne, which used they/their pronouns, won the first British series in 2019 with a successful combination of honesty, catty criticism and an excellent impersonation of Donald Trump. The show became an instant hit and was streamed more than 15 million times on iPlayer.
But there was one notable voice missing from the sea of tributes this weekend: RuPaul himself.
Many were stunned by the silence of the American drag queen, who was born in 1960 as RuPaul Andre Charles. After all, as the show’s creator, he had discovered ‘The Viv’ and selected the artist as his ‘superstar’.
But friends now tell me that RuPaul chose his words carefully.
RuPaul, right, with The Vivienne at DragCon UK in London in 2020
The Vivienne promote their performance at Dancing On Ice in January 2023
Those who know the star reveal the 64-year-old was ‘absolutely devastated’ by The Viv’s death and was ‘in pieces’ over the sudden loss.
In fact, I can reveal that the tragedy has weighed so heavily on RuPaul that he is now “seriously considering” relinquishing his duties as host of the show.
A friend of the star told me: ‘This comes as a bolt from the blue for Ru. The Vivienne was one of his brightest stars and everyone knows what a soft spot he had for them. He has been left devastated by their deaths and is now considering his own future.
‘Ru is now seriously considering quitting hosting the British franchise, which will always be associated with The Viv.’
RuPaul has confided to those close to him for some time that his film schedule is full and that he is ‘not getting any younger’.
Furthermore, he believes the show is in “good hands” with his co-hosts Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton.
But without its eponymous host, fans of the show will surely wonder how long it can go on – if at all.
When RuPaul finally addressed The Vivienne’s death 24 hours after the news broke, he told his six million Instagram followers, “It is with a broken heart that I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne – an incredibly talented queen and a lovely person. .’
The Vivienne and figure skater Colin Grafton in Dancing On Ice in 2023
The post included a photo — not of The Viv in full costume, but of a young man in a baseball cap smiling next to RuPaul.
That young man was Williams, who adopted The Vivienne as a drag name out of his love for Vivienne Westwood clothes.
Struggling to make a living in the bars of Gran Canaria, Williams became obsessed with RuPaul and his talent show, which launched in the US in 2009.
Viv’s dream of appearing on the show came true. Following its UK launch ten years later, viewers were moved by Williams’ honesty about a battle with drug addiction before moving to the Spanish island. In tearful on-screen interviews, the performer revealed that drugs had been ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’ for four years.
“It was a party, drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party,” Williams said. “For me it was constant.”
Williams performed in bars and clubs seven nights a week and became addicted.
“When people say, ‘You have to hit rock bottom to move forward,’ it sounds so stupid, but it’s the truth. I had to be evicted from my home and was told I would be dead by the time I was thirty. It was the loneliest part of my life, I committed suicide… and my family doesn’t even know.
“I could have been dead right now if I hadn’t done something about it.”
With the help of Armistead, a rehabilitation center in Liverpool, Williams recovered and moved to Spain, where he met partner David. The couple was married for four years and divorced in April 2023.
After winning the show that year – making it an instant hit for the BBC and launching another five seasons – the artist’s success continued.
TV chiefs hoped to turn The Vivienne into the next Lily Savage, the alter ego of the late Paul O’Grady, because of both stars’ quick wit and Liverpudlian roots.
Less than two weeks before The Vivienne’s death, the artist had even appeared as a panelist on Carpety Blank – the game show that made Lily Savage famous.
I can also reveal that The Viv was lined up for the new series of Celebrity Big Brother in March after coming third in Dancing on Ice last year.
And it wasn’t just a TV career that blossomed. Last year, The Vivienne made a critically acclaimed West End debut, appearing as the Wicked Witch of the West in Wizard of Oz and the Childcatcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
But on Sunday, Williams’ distraught father found his son unconscious at home.
Cheshire Police said officers were called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford at 12.22am on Sunday and confirmed in an update that they found ‘no suspicious circumstances’.
The Vivienne with ex-partner David. They were married for four years until 2023
As Simon Jones, close friend and manager of The Vivienne, wrote: ‘It is tragic that their careers are only just beginning.’
The star’s death, along with uncertainty about the show’s future, could cast a shadow on RuPaul’s annual drag convention, which is expected to be attended by thousands this weekend.
I’m told RuPaul will travel 5,000 miles from his Beverly Hills mansion to London to attend the event at the Excel Center with his co-host and best friend of 35 years, Michelle Visage, by his side.
American singer Ms. Visage, a mainstay of the British drag scene, was a close friend of The Vivienne and is expected to take over the reins of Drag Race when RuPaul steps down.
In a tribute to The Vivienne this week, Visage, 56, wrote: ‘Your laugh, your humor, your talent, your drag. I loved everything, but most of all I loved your friendship. You were a beacon to many.
‘I’m the lucky one to have known you and laughed with you so often. I love you, my love.”
The pair are said to be planning a “very special tribute” at the drag convention – the largest in Britain – to “celebrate and not just mourn” the artist.
There will also be a memorial stand on the ‘pink’ carpet where visitors can pay tribute.
“They want to fill the room with love,” said an insider.
But despite all the planned festivities, questions are sure to remain for fans of The Vivienne and RuPaul for a while.