The Vivienne lay dead in their home for a “couple of days” before being found, an inquest has revealed.
The drag star, who was originally from Wales, passed away in January. They were 32 years old.
How did The Vivienne pass away?
In January, it was announced that The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, had died.
The star, who used the they/them pronouns, found fame in 2019 after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. In 2022, they returned to compete in RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.
2023 saw The Vivienne finish in third place on Dancing On Ice. They also took on the role of the Wicked Witch of the West in the UK stage tour of The Wizard of Oz.
The star was found dead at their home in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, on January 5.
In a statement following their death, a spokesperson 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.”
Inquest into The Vivienne’s death reveals new details
Today (Monday, June 30), following an inquest, The Vivienne’s cause of death was officially given as cardio-respiratory arrest due to the use of ketamine.
A forensic toxicologist told the inquest that there was a “relatively high level of ketamine in Williams’ system”. They said that this suggested “moderate to excessive use” of the drug.
Jacqueline Devonish, the senior coroner for the county of Cheshire, said: “On the balance of probabilities, I am satisfied that James Lee Williams’ death was a misadventure. He took ketamine, but he did not intend to end his own life.”
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The Vivienne’s cause of death
Cheshire Coroner’s Court also heard today that The Vivienne had been found in the bath, after friends had been unable to get in touch with the star.
A paramedic said that rigor mortis had already set in and that it was evident that the star had been in the water for a “couple of days”.
Five empty bags of what was believed to be ketamine were found in the star’s bedroom and bathroom bin.
Speaking at the inquest, a neighbour explained how they’d found the drag star in the bath. Janine Gobold told the inquest she’d received a call from one of Williams’ friends on January 5 asking if she’d heard from them. She’d last spoken to Williams two days prior to arrange a shopping trip.
Janine told the friend she would use her key to check on the star. The neighbour explained that when she went into the house with her son, all the lights were on.
She then explained how she found the star in the bath. She rushed to stop their face from going in the water, and told her son to ring an ambulance.
The inquest was also told that The Vivienne had a “significant history of substance misuse, including the use of ketamine, cocaine and alcohol”.
Star’s friend speaks out
Bobby Musker, who had known the star for 16 years, said that he had last spoken to Williams on January 3rd.
“I could kind of tell when he was on [ketamine], so I could tell he had taken some,” he said. The witnesses were told how Musker had received a call from the star’s manager the following day asking if anyone had heard from Williams.
After telling Janine to let herself into Williams’ home, he got a call from her where she was screaming, “he’s in the bath, he’s in the bath”.
Bobby drove to The Vivienne’s home and spoke to the paramedics, who asked what The Vivienne’s drug of choice was.
“Him taking drugs didn’t define him as a person. He did so much for the good. I don’t want the public to see him just as what has happened, with drug use, that wasn’t the person that defined him. There was a lot more to him,” Musker said.
Williams’ sister, Chanel Williams, previously revealed that the star had “a really long period of sobriety” before relapsing. The family only discovered this after the star’s death.
The inquest into their death continues.
Read more: The Vivienne’s sister shares new detail on star’s ketamine addiction after their death
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