8 iconic and insightful quotes from The Vivienne as Drag Race UK star dies at 32
Drag star The Vivienne has died at the age of 32, it has been confirmed.
The Liverpudlian’s TV credits include Dancing On Ice, Celebrity Mastermind and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
News of the Drag Race UK season one champion’s passing was shared today on Instagram by their publicist, Simon Jones.
“Their family are heartbroken”
In a statement posted today (Sunday 5 January 2025), Jones said: “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.”
Here, in honour of how hilarious and wise Viv was, we revisit the star’s 2022 Attitude interview, to celebrate their Inspiration Award win at the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar.
On the most common misconception about her
“I see it online all the time, “Oh, she’s a bitch.” I’m like, ‘You’ve never met me!’ The on-tour people say I’m the nicest person they’ve ever worked with! It was season one of Drag Race UK that did it.”
On coming out
“You come out as gay — that’s scary for any parent, whether they accept it or not, I don’t care what anyone says. And then I started putting makeup on and wanted to be a makeup artist — after they’d put me through private school because I was going to be a lawyer! That was another blow. Then you start ‘dressing up as a woman’, in quotation marks. They’re like, ‘What’s going on? Where’s our son gone?’ Once they realised drag was a career, and keeping me out of trouble — well, it found me a bit of trouble — and especially after Drag Race, they were like, ‘Yeah, OK.’”
On drag beyond Drag Race
“There was a drag scene before Drag Race. It’s so hard. I would hate to be 15 years old getting into drag in this world. There are so many [of us]. I remember the days — I’m going to sound like one of those bitter old queens I used to slate! — when I knew the 10 queens in Manchester, the 10 queens in London… Now, there’s a brunch on every corner. It’s like, ‘It’s what you wanted — now you’ve got it!’”
On her advice to someone struggling with addiction
“Just sort it out. It might be fun in the moment… I don’t like to sugar-coat things: you’re probably going to have an absolute ball. But not everyone is blessed to be able to put it down at the end of the party and not touch it for two months and go, “Oh, do you know what, I’ll do a bit of that tonight.” Some people get fully addicted. And then your health starts declining, your bank account empties, you have to cut friends off. It’s not a good place to be. Get advice. There are so many people willing to help. You worry people are going to go, “Eww, get away!” But the biggest reaction is always wanting to help. My dad’s exact words were, “You dickhead — I wish you’d told me!” He found [out] off Drag Race.”
On her advice to someone considering plastic surgery
“Start early! [Laughs] No, start early with Botox. It’s preventive. Think of your skin as an elastic band — it only has so much elasticity. I started at 19, and there’s not a line on my face! I’d maybe wait for filler. Your face is changing until your mid-20s.”
On drag reaching ‘saturation point’
“I think we’ve reached it. We did a Christmas tour, and you could see Blu Hydrangea down the road, LaLa Ri round the corner. Straight after mine and Baga’s show, Priyanka was in the same venue. I thought, ‘This is going to fucking crash and burn.’ People haven’t got the money for shows seven nights a week. And the climate’s fucked as it is. It’s like, ‘You’re going to run this thing into the ground.’”
On doing impressions – her speciality
“Bette Davis, Jennifer Coolidge, Joan, to a certain degree, but more Faye Dunaway. Just people I meet. Especially physical stuff — I can pick that up straight away. Not necessarily the voice; that takes work. Touring with people, their little ‘isms’: Kita Mean [from Drag Race Down Under] would tell a joke, then look around for approval — every time! [Humour] was my defence at school. I wasn’t bullied, because I was the funny kid. Mrs. Doubtfire was a big one in school, then teachers!”
On success
“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.”
The post 8 iconic and insightful quotes from The Vivienne as Drag Race UK star dies at 32 appeared first on Attitude.
