James Lee Williams, who is best known as drag star The Vivienne who won RuPaul's Drag Race, died from a cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine, their family has said.
Williams, 32, was found dead at their home in Cheshire in January. Their sister Chanel Williams said her family 'continue to be completely devastated' by the death of the 32-year-old and will be working with a substance abuse charity to raise awareness of the dangers of the drug.
Celebrities and fans from around the world have flocked to social media to pay their tributes to Williams. In January, RuPaul's Drag Race UK's Bimini Bon Boulash wrote 'My heart is heavy. The Vivienne was truly loved,' continuing 'A unique talent, sharp tongue and kind soul. I am sending my love to every person in our community today. Tell the people you love how special they are. Loss is one of the cruelest [sic] parts of the human experience. Rest in peace.'
Others have addressed the news that William's death was drug related. One user wrote on X 'This is terribly sad, and it tells us really clearly that the drug culture within the LGBTQIA+ community is harmful. Let’s use The Vivienne’s tragic death as an opportunity to tackle drug usage within our community. This cannot happen again.' A second user wrote 'I’m begging all of you to test your drugs & please use them in moderation if you’re going to use them. Have Narcan on hand & check in on your friends at the party. The Vivienne’s death is absolutely heartbreaking a left a huge whole in the drag scene. Don’t let us lose another.'
Williams’ manager, Simon Jones has spoken out about why it's important to be open about the causes of William's death. In an Instagram story, he wrote: 'James's family and I feel it is important to say how James tragically died. We hope that by us releasing this information we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body.'
He continued: 'Ketamine usage is on the rise, particularly amongst young people, and I don’t think the full dangers of the drug are being discussed.'
Williams’ family and friends are now continuing to honour them after their death, having partnered with Adferiad, a charity supporting individuals battling with substance use and their mental health.
Ketamine use is on the rise in the UK. In England, the number of under-18s entering drug treatment who describe ketamine as one of their problem substances rose from 335 to 917 between 2020-21 and 2023-24, according to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System.
Williams bravely discussed their drug addiction struggles in the past. In a 2019 episode of Drag Race, they opened up about battling addiction for four years. 'I was a drug addict for four years of my life. It was party drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party,’ they told the camera. ‘It was constant for me.’ They described the worst of their addiction as ‘the loneliest part of [their] life’, adding: ‘I was killing myself and my family don’t even know.’
Williams' story is heartbreaking, and Jones' Instagram story shows how important it is to be honest about drug related deaths. Euphemisms about the cause of death don't help anyone, and keeping the topic taboo actually increases the shame many users and their families feel around substance abuse.
Instead speaking openly about how dangerous these drugs are can be could actually save other people's lives. Communication, empathy, and education is key to stopping more tragedies. Addiction is a devastating and complex disease that thrives in silence. Surely raising awareness of it, as Williams' loved ones are doing, can only be a good thing.