The Vivienne

James Lee Williams (12 April 1992 – 3 January 2025), known professionally as The Vivienne, was a British drag queen who was the winner of the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019. They later competed in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars in 2022 and became the first drag performer to compete on Dancing on Ice, placing third in the fifteenth series in 2023. In 2015, before the release of Drag Race UK, they were the UK drag ambassador for the American series RuPaul's Drag Race.

In addition to appearing on television, The Vivienne released music, including the extended play Bitch on Heels (2022), and acted on stage, notably as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 2024 UK tour of The Wizard of Oz.

James Lee Williams was born to Cassie and Lee Williams on 12 April 1992 and grew up in Colwyn Bay and Towyn. They had a sister, Chanel. Williams began attending stage school at the age of 5 and performed in a production of Bugsy Malone. They attended Rydal Penrhos, came out as gay at age 14, and relocated to Liverpool to become a make-up artist at age 16. Williams was of Romani heritage.

Williams took the drag name Vivienne because they were known for wearing Vivienne Westwood clothing; they later added the definite article to make their name unique. They first discovered drag after watching a YouTube video of Chad Michaels performing a Cher impersonation number at a gay bar, and was further inspired by Derrick Barry's impersonation of Britney Spears. The Vivienne's first drag show was at Pink in Liverpool, followed by gigs in other bars such as Superstar Boudoir. On 28 May 2015, The Vivienne competed in a one-day event judged by RuPaul, Katie Price, and Jonathan Ross, taking place at Café de Paris, London, where they were placed in the top two alongside La Voix and then crowned the "UK Drag Ambassador for RuPaul's Drag Race." They were later flown to Los Angeles to make a cameo appearance on the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (2016). The Vivienne briefly lived in Gran Canaria in 2017.

The Vivienne was a competitor in the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019. In the competition, they won three challenges, including the Snatch Game, in which they impersonated American politician Donald Trump and engaged in repartee with Baga Chipz as Margaret Thatcher. They ultimately won the competition on 21 November 2019 and were crowned "The UK's First Drag Superstar."

In September 2019, The Vivienne competed with Courtney Act in Jag Race, a web series where drag performers race sports cars for charity in collaboration with Jaguar and Attitude magazine. They raced for Sahir House, a Liverpool charity that provides a space in which people living with HIV can speak freely without fear of prejudice, stigma, abuse, or exploitation. In November, they embarked on a three-month tour alongside their competitors from RuPaul's Drag Race UK, hosted by drag performer Alyssa Edwards. The next month, they reprised their Snatch Game impersonation of Donald Trump alongside Baga Chipz as Margaret Thatcher in Morning T&T, a fictional television news show. In an interview with Gay Times, they described the series as a "spoof of Good Morning Britain and Good Morning America."

In 2020, American production company World of Wonder announced a six-part series in which The Vivienne produced a music video while travelling in Los Angeles. The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood premiered on 9 April 2020 on BBC Three and WOW Presents Plus. The same month, they and Baga Chipz co-presented I Like to Watch UK, a web series where they humorously review original Netflix programmes.

The Vivienne made a guest appearance as themself on the soap opera Emmerdale in June 2021. In January 2022, they starred in Channel 4's Celebrity Hunted in aid of Stand Up to Cancer. That summer, they competed in the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, where former winners of the franchise returned for the title of "Queen of All Queens." Despite winning three challenges and one lipsync battle, they failed to reach the top four of the season.

In October 2022, they were announced to be competing in the fifteenth series of the ITV ice-skating reality show Dancing on Ice, making them the first drag artist to participate in the show. On 12 March 2023, they finished in third place. In June 2023, they presented the "Scene of the Year" award at the 2023 British Soap Awards. In 2024, they starred as the Wicked Witch of the West in the UK tour and West End run of The Wizard of Oz. The Vivienne's final television appearance was on the Christmas special of the game show Blankety Blank on 26 December 2024.^{[citation needed]}

The Vivienne released their debut song "Tonight" on 20 May 2020, a dance-pop song they described as "the epitome of the word banger," combining "thumping bass and soaring vocals." They covered "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" (1984) by Dead or Alive on 21 October 2020, releasing the track alongside a lyric video. On this track, the drag performer paid tribute to the band's lead vocalist, the late Pete Burns. "Bitch on Heels" was released on 25 March 2021, written by American songwriter Diane Warren and produced by Swedish record producer Tannergard. The three singles were released on the EP Bitch on Heels in July 2022. The Vivienne also covered "Jingle Bell Rock" (1957) alongside Tia Kofi, released on 19 November 2021.

Williams used the pronouns they/them and was gay.

In December 2019, Williams married David Ludford in a ceremony at the gay nightclub Heaven. The couple confirmed their separation in April 2023 and remained friends.

In June 2023, Williams was the victim of a homophobic attack in a McDonald's restaurant in Liverpool. Merseyside Police confirmed that 51-year-old Alan Whitfield from Everton made homophobic remarks towards Williams and punched them in the face before leaving the scene. Williams spoke about the attack to highlight the fact that homophobia still existed in 2023 and urged members of the LGBTQ community to remain vigilant when out in public. Whitfield was found guilty of assault motivated by homophobia in December 2023 and was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison with an 18-month suspended sentence on 5 January 2024.

Williams struggled with drug addiction throughout their life, including a ketamine addiction. They praised the work of the Armistead Centre in Liverpool for their rehabilitation.

On 5 January 2025, Cheshire Constabulary were called to an address located in Chorlton-by-Backford, following a report of a sudden death. It was announced later that evening that Williams had died at the age of 32. Their agent released a statement confirming that Williams had died over the weekend and that their family would not be releasing any further details at present. Initially, local police said the death was not suspicious. The area coroner later revealed that Williams was discovered in the home's bathroom from an "unnatural death" and requested further investigation. A hearing at Cheshire Coroner's Court in late June 2025 recorded a verdict of death by misadventure after a cardiac arrest occasioned by drug use. Testimony was presented that Williams was discovered in the bath, having died some time previously, probably "just under two days" earlier, on 3 January.

The RuPaul's Drag Race social media accounts paid tribute to Williams, memorialising as a "beacon of creativity and authenticity" who "embodied what it [meant] to be a true champion." Several Drag Race co-stars spoke in their honor, including Baga Chipz, who described them as their "bestest friend in the whole wide world," Michelle Visage, who said they were a "beacon to so many" who would be "so missed," and RuPaul, who said that his heart was "broken," describing them as an "incredibly talented queen" and a "lovely human being." The next day's performance of RuPaul's Drag Race Live! was dedicated to The Vivienne. Tributes appeared on RuPaul's Drag Race episode "Drag Queens Got Talent – Part 2" and on the first episode of the seventeenth series of Dancing on Ice.

Williams' funeral took place on 27 January 2025 at St. Margaret's Church in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, North Wales, and was attended by a number of British celebrities. The coffin arrived by horse-drawn carriage, pulled by black horses with green plumes. Floral tributes spelled "Vivienne", "James," and "Son"; the crown and sceptre awarded to RuPaul's Drag Race winners was carried into the church ahead of the coffin.

In March 2025, it was announced that The Vivienne's death resulted from a cardiac arrest associated with a ketamine overdose, and their family said that they will be working with charity Adferiad to campaign for open conversations about substance abuse.

A memorial documentary, Dear Viv, was later produced by World of Wonder and released on 28 August 2025. The film featured their family and fellow Drag Race alumni Baga Chipz, Blu Hydrangea, Cheryl, Crystal, Danny Beard, Michael Marouli, Monét X Change, Raja, Tia Kofi, and Trinity the Tuck.