'He made me feel love' The Vivienne's ex-husband pays emotional tribute to 'angel' after RuPaul Drag Race star's death
The former husband of drag artist The Vivienne, who recently passed away, has shared an emotional tribute. On social media, David Ludford shared that they were "shattered" following the devastating news and called the artist an "angel".
On Sunday, January 5, it was confirmed that RuPaul's Drag Race series one winner The Vivienne had died at the age of 32. The performer, whose real name was James Lee Williams and was originally from Colwyn Bay in north Wales but moved to Liverpool when they were 16, became the first winner of the UK version of the popular drag queen competition show in 2019.
Since then, the performer's career grew from strength to strength, including starring in Morning T&T on WOW Presents Plus, a BBC Three series The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood, the Netflix show I Like to Watch and took part the 2020 Christmas special of The Great British Sewing Bee. They became the first drag act to take part in Dancing on Ice.
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On Sunday, their publicist Simon Jones announced the news on Instagram. He wrote in a statement: "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.
"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. We will not be releasing any further details. We please ask that James’s family are given the time and privacy they now need to process and grieve."
Tributes for the star have poured in far and wide, with the likes of Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse remembering The Vivienne for being a "phenomenal entertainer" and "trailblazer", while fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, the American drag artist Jinkx Monsoon said the star made a "mark in our hearts".
On Monday, January 6, The Vivienne's former husband, David Ludford, also shared their tribute to the star. The couple met in 2017 and got married in 2019, before they announced their separation in April 2023. For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.
In a post shared on Instagram, David wrote: "My heart literally sank when I got the call!! My heart is shattered!!! Never in a million years did I think I’d ever be writing anything like this about The Vivienne. This man changed my life so much from the day we first met in August 2017 in Gran Canaria!! We literally clicked straight away and we knew we was going to be together for along time!! He made me feel love and shown me what it was really like to love someone.
"We literally went through and did so much together it was like a whirlwind and I wouldn’t have changed the time we spent together for anything In The world!!! I feel like a tit feeling this upset and hurt because we have been fully divorced for just over a year now but we was together 6 year and we loved each other so much and you can’t take away.
"I’m so happy to say I not only met you but we was together, we was husbands and you was the biggest part of my left for such a long time! 6 years is such a long time to spend 24/7 with you will always always have a place in my heart. Going to miss you more than people will ever know sleep tight angel".
