How RuPaul REALLY reacted to death of The Vivienne, by GRANT TUCKER

When the news broke on Sunday evening that drag artiste The Vivienne had died at the age of 32, thousands took to social media to pay tribute.

The performer, whose real name was James Lee Williams, had been one of the breakout stars of BBC series RuPaul’s Drag Race – the reality TV show in which drag queens compete in front of host RuPaul to be named his ‘superstar’.

The Vivienne, who used they/them pronouns, won the first UK series in 2019 with a successful combination of honesty, catty putdowns and an excellent impersonation of Donald Trump. The show became an instant hit, with the series being streamed more than 15million times on iPlayer.

But there was one notable voice missing from the sea of tributes at the weekend: RuPaul himself.

Many were baffled by the silence from the US drag queen, who was born in 1960 as RuPaul Andre Charles. After all, as the show’s creator, he had discovered ‘The Viv’ and picked the performer to be his ‘superstar’.

But, friends now tell me, RuPaul was choosing his words carefully.

Those who know the star reveal that the 64-year-old was ‘absolutely devastated’ by The Viv’s death and has been ‘in bits’ about the sudden loss.

In fact, I can reveal, the tragedy has weighed so heavily on RuPaul that he is now ‘seriously considering’ stepping away from his hosting duties on the show.

A friend of the star told me: ‘This has come like a bolt out of the blue for Ru. The Vivienne was one of his brightest stars and everyone knows what a soft spot he had for them. He has been left absolutely devastated by their passing and is now weighing up his own future.

‘Ru is now seriously considering standing down from hosting the UK franchise, which will always be associated with The Viv.’

For some time RuPaul has confided in those close to him that his filming schedule is packed and he ‘isn’t getting any younger’.

What’s more, he believes the show is in ‘good hands’ with his co-presenters Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton.

But, without its eponymous host, fans of the show are sure to question how long it can continue – if at all.

Finally discussing The Vivienne’s death 24 hours after the news broke, RuPaul told his six million Instagram followers: ‘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.’

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Alongside the post was a photograph – not of The Viv in full costume but of a young man in a baseball cap smiling alongside RuPaul.

That young man was Williams, who adopted The Vivienne as a drag name from a love of Vivienne Westwood clothing.

While struggling to make a living in the bars of Gran Canaria, Williams became obsessed with RuPaul and his talent show, which had launched in the US in 2009.

The Viv’s dream of appearing on the show came true. After the UK launch ten years later, viewers were moved by Williams’s honesty about a battle with drug addiction before moving to the Spanish island. In tearful on-screen interviews, the performer revealed that, for four years, drugs had been ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’.

‘It was party, drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party,’ Williams said. ‘It was constant for me.’

For seven nights a week, Williams would perform in bars and clubs and sank into addiction.

‘When people say, “You’ve got to hit rock bottom to get further,” it sounds so stupid but it’s the truth. I had to be kicked out of my house and told that I would be dead by the time I was 30. It was the loneliest part of my life, I was killing myself… and my family don’t even know.

‘I could’ve been dead now if I didn’t do anything about it.’

With the help of Armistead, a rehab centre in Liverpool, Williams recovered and moved to Spain – meeting partner David. The couple were married for four years, divorcing in April 2023.

After winning the show that year – making it an instant hit for the BBC and sparking five more seasons – the performer’s success continued.

TV chiefs hoped to make The Vivienne the next Lily Savage, the alter ego of the late Paul O’Grady, due to both stars’ quick wit and Liverpudlian roots.

Indeed, less than two weeks before The Vivienne’s death, the artist had appeared as a panellist on Blankety Blank – the game show on which Lily Savage became famous.

I can also reveal The Viv was being lined up for the new series of Celebrity Big Brother in March after coming third on last year’s Dancing on Ice.

And it wasn’t just a TV career that was blossoming. Last year The Vivienne made a critically acclaimed debut in the West End, performing as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz and the Childcatcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

But on Sunday, Williams’s distraught father found his son unresponsive at home.

Cheshire Police said officers were called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford at 12.22pm on Sunday and in an update, confirmed they had found ‘no suspicious circumstances’.

As Simon Jones, The Vivienne’s close friend and manager, wrote: ‘It’s tragic that their career was only just beginning.’

The star’s death, along with uncertainty about the show’s future, could cast a shadow over RuPaul’s annual drag convention, which thousands are expected to attend this weekend.

I am told that RuPaul will be travelling 5,000 miles from his Beverly Hills mansion to London to attend the event at the Excel centre with his co-host and best friend of 35 years, Michelle Visage, at his side.

American singer Ms Visage, who is a key pillar of the UK drag scene, was a close friend of The Vivienne and is expected to take the reins of Drag Race if RuPaul steps down. 

In a tribute to The Vivienne this week, 56-year-old Visage wrote: ‘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.

‘I’m the lucky one to have known you and to have laughed together with you so many times. I love you my darling.’

The pair are said to be planning a ‘very special tribute’ at the drag convention – the biggest in the UK – to ‘celebrate and not just mourn’ the performer.

There will also be a memorial booth on the ‘pink’ carpet where attendees can pay tribute.

‘They want to fill the room with love,’ said an insider.

But – despite all the planned celebrations – questions are sure to remain for fans of The Vivienne and RuPaul for some time to come.