‘Drag Race UK’ star The Vivienne, 32
Williams recently played ‘the child catcher’ in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tour and as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz musical revival
JAMES Williams as ‘the child catcher’ in ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.’
photograph courtesy of eastbourne theatres
British drag performer and actor James Lee Williams, who goes by the name The Vivienne, has died at the age of 32.
“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, warm-hearted and amazing person,” Simone Jones, publicist of Williams, said in a statement on X.
The cause of death was not disclosed.
Jones continued, “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.”
Born in Wales, Williams began a career at 16 by performing drag shows at Liverpool, England.
DRAG Race UK winner ‘The Vivienne.’
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WORLD OF WONDER
Williams, whose preferred pronouns are they and them, took inspiration from fashion designer Vivienne Westwood for their drag name. They were appointed as UK’s drag ambassador for the US series of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2015.
They won the first UK series RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2019 after lip-syncing “I’m Your Man” by Wham! in the finals. Williams also appeared in the seventh season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. They were also a finalist in the UK series of Dancing on Ice in 2023.
Williams recently played “the child catcher” in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tour and as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz musical revival. They also appeared in the film Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and the TV show Emmerdale.
“You’re always knocking yourself: ‘I’m just doing drag. I’m just doing my job.’ But then, you open Instagram and see messages from people about addiction, from the parents of fans. I’ve presented an award at the Attitude Awards — I never thought I’d done anything big enough to receive one. Young James would think it was crazy,” Williams said.