The ex-husband of the drag artist known as The Vivienne has said his “heart is shattered” after the death of the RuPaul’s Drag Race star, as the hit TV show’s host paid tribute to “a lovely human being”.
James Lee Williams, who won the 2019 first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK as The Vivienne, died at the weekend aged 32.
In an emotional tribute on Instagram, David Ludford wrote: “My heart literally sank when I got the call! My heart is shattered!”
Ludford, a wig hairstylist, said Williams “changed my life so much” and that they “loved each other so much”.
“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,” he said.
The couple announced their separation in April 2023.
RuPaul Charles, the host of RuPaul’s Drag Race, said: “With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne – an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being.”
The Vivienne and RuPaul at Olympia London in 2020. Photograph: Lia Toby/Getty Images
Williams’s professional skating partner on ITV’s Dancing on Ice, the American skater Colin Grafton, said the performer “brought light into every room they entered and gave so many people hope where there was none”. The pair made history when Williams became the first drag act to reach the show’s finale, being placed third in the skating competition’s 2023 series.
Williams performed as the Wicked Witch of the West in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard of Oz musical, reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne theatre last year, and was due to go back on tour next month in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical as the Child Catcher.
Ariana Grande, who stars in the film Wicked, shared a photo of Williams on Instagram along with three heart emojis.
Remembering The Vivienne: Drag Race winner and TV star – video
The Dancing on Ice judge Oti Mabuse praised the performer for being a “phenomenal entertainer” and “trailblazer” and the Drag Race judge Michelle Visage said The Vivienne was “a beacon to so many”.
The Northern Irish drag queen Blu Hydrangea, who competed in the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK with The Vivienne, praised the TV star as a “class act, a mentor, an absolute superstar”.
News of Williams’s death was announced by their publicist, Simon Jones, on Sunday evening. A spokesperson for Cheshire police said on Monday officers had been called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday after reports of a sudden death.
The spokesperson said: “Police attended, investigated the circumstances of the death of the 32-year-old man and concluded there were no suspicious circumstances. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”
