Season 1 of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne, born as James Lee Williams, has died.

News of Vivienne’s death was initially shared by manager Simon Jones on Instagram and Twitter/X:

In a text-based image, Simon explained:

“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.”

With respect to The Vivienne’s cause of death, Simon noted that no further details would be released.

Simon shared a second post memorializing The Vivienne, captioned “Goodbye my beautiful friend.”

In it, he sounded shocked and bereaved, and Simon wrote in part:

“These are words I never wanted to write. Viv was a close friend, a client and someone I loved very much.

“From the moment I met them in 2019 I knew we could create magic together and I became their manager. Their talent was immense and the light they brought to every room was astonishing.”

On a second image, Simon said it was “tragic their career was only beginning,” The Vivienne “left us way too soon,” and that he was “heartbroken and devastated at this news.”

‘Fly High, Queen’

Tributes to The Vivienne flooded in after the sad news broke, and fellow RPDR stars were clearly devastated and shocked.

Judge Michelle Visage shared images of the duo on Instagram, and she said in part:

“Heartbreaking 💔 I don’t know how to say how I feel. My darling @thevivienne_ we go back to when I started coming over here to the UK. You were always there, always laughing, always giving, always on point. Your laughter, your wit, your talent, your drag.

“I loved all of it but I loved your friendship most of all. You were a beacon to so many … May your light shine fiercely, forever. RIP MY ANGEL fly high[.]”

Commenters were stunned to hear of The Vivienne’s sudden passing.

Several fans expressed disbelief, writing:

“Omg 😳😢 what!?”

“I cannot believe this 💔”

“I simply don’t believe this 💔”

“😔😣 shocked like the rest of the world is 😢❤️”

“I’m in shook omg 😢”

Another simply commented: “WHAT??????”

Shock was not the only emotion expressed, though — fellow British drag queen Myra Dubois was angry, and her Instagram posts were shared on Reddit’s r/rupaulsdragrace.

Myra shared a four-image statement on Instagram about The Vivienne’s death:

In the first pane, Myra touched on a common problem faced by loved ones when someone like The Vivienne dies before their time — a morbid fascination with their cause of death.

Myra wrote: “I don’t know how The Vivienne left us, and I will be respecting the family request for privacy by not trying to find out, or by [fueling] rumours.”

She continued, stating that Viv had appeared on the game show Blankety Blank around Christmas, and also cited cruel comments left on posts about Vivienne’s death:

“I do know that after appearing on Blankety Blank over Christmas she was bombarded with a slew of homophobic abuse. I also know that the comments sections on posts announcing her passing are filling up with comments like ‘One less’ and ‘rest in hell.'”

In the next pane, Myra was direct, saying: “You can’t just post how sad you are when LGBTQ+ people die. I want you to ask if you’re doing everything you can to keep all LGBTQ+ people alive. ALL of them, not just the white gays and drag queens you like at brunch.”

In the caption, Myra alluded to having shared the comments originally as an Instagram Story, writing:

“Adding this to [the] grid because I’m not allowing the convenience of it disappearing after 24 hour[s].

“I have buried so many friends in the last few years, and I am angry.

“Comments off out of respect, and to preserve my own mental health because once this hits certain circles: it starts.”

On the Reddit thread, a top comment read: “Myra is a class act. She said what anyone with a heart is thinking. Nasty comments taking glee in someone’s death based on their gender identity, race, sexual orientation or occupation are insane. Hopefully karma is real for those people.”

The Vivienne was 32.