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Stars, doves and Drag Race crown at The Vivienne’s funeral

Posted on 27 January 2025 By Admin No Comments on Stars, doves and Drag Race crown at The Vivienne’s funeral
Drag race star The Vivienne, James Lee Williams, is dressed in a blue suit with high, pointed shoulder pads. She has a platinum blonde wig and is wearing sunglasses.
The Vivienne, aka James Lee Williams, died three weeks ago

Drag Race stars have joined family, friends and other celebrities to say farewell to James Lee Williams, better known as drag queen The Vivienne.

The funeral took place in north Wales on Monday, three weeks after the performer was found dead aged 32 at their home in Cheshire.

Famous names among the mourners included singers Jade Thirlwall from Little Mix and Ian “H” Watkins from Steps, drag queens Cheryl Hole, Baga Chipz and Danny Beard, and TV personalities Kim Woodburn and Kerry Katona.

The coffin arrived in a horse-drawn carriage pulled by black horses with green plumes. Floral tributes spelled “Vivienne”, “James” and “Son”, and the crown and sceptre awarded to RuPaul’s Drag Race winners were carried into the church ahead of the coffin.

A woman holding the jewelled crown on a red velvet cushion, and a man holding the sceptre, standing in front of the hearse
The Drag Race UK winner’s crown and sceptre were used in the service
Black horse-drawn hearse pulled by to black horses with green feathered head plumes
The coffin arrived in a horse-drawn hearse

Others at the service in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, included former Drag Race contestants Veronica Green and Tia Kofi, and actresses Claire Sweeney and Jennifer Ellison.

The Vivienne won the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019, impressing the judges and viewers with impressions of Donald Trump, Margret Thatcher and Woodburn.

Speaking after the funeral, Woodburn said The Vivienne’s impersonation “just seemed to have me off to a tea”.

She added: “A lovely young man. A sad loss. I’m proud to be here today.”

Jade Thirlwall and Marcus Collins arriving for the funeral
Singers Jade Thirlwall and Marcus Collins are among the mourners
Comedian Jayde Adams in a green shirt, coat and hat, next to Ian "H" Watkins in black and red checked jacket and black turtleneck
Comedian Jayde Adams arrived with Ian “H” Watkins

Co-stars from The Vivienne’s musical theatre career were also present, including Aston Merrygold from boy band JLS, who appeared in a stage production of The Wizard Of Oz last year.

After the service, those in attendance gathered on the lawn outside the church and white doves were released.

Monday’s funeral service took place at St Margaret’s Church in Bodelwyddan, near where Williams grew up and went to school.

They moved to Liverpool as a teenager and began performing in local bars and clubs as The Vivienne – named after their love of Vivienne Westwood clothing – before moving to Gran Canaria as a performer at Sparkles Show Bar.

The cover of the oder of service showing a photo of Williams with green hair wearing shorts and short sleeves, by the sea in the sun resting one knee against a wall
The funeral’s order of service had a photo of Williams on the cover
A single white dove in an ornate circular metal cage with a small bunch of pink flowers attached to one side
White doves were released after the funeral

After winning the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, The Vivienne became the first competitor from the UK series to appear in the US version of the show, competing in series seven of Drag Race All Stars.

Away from RuPaul’s hit show, Williams also appeared on mainstream television shows including Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway and Dancing on Ice, had a guest appearance on Emmerdale, and most recently competed on a Christmas special of Blankety Blank.

In early January, the news of Williams’ passing sparked an outpouring of grief from the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

Tributes were paid by high-profile names including Ariana Grande, Drag Race judge Michelle Visage and host and creator of the show RuPaul.

A floral tribute spelling "James" seen through a hearse window
A floral tribute spelling "James" seen through a hearse window
Floral tributes spelled the names James and Vivienne

Hundreds also attended a public vigil in Liverpool, where friends and family paid tribute through music and speeches.

Public buildings in the city were lit up green in honour of The Vivienne’s role as The Wicked Witch of the West in the UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard of Oz.

A book of condolences was opened at The Museum of Liverpool for members of the public and has since been handed to the family.

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Williams’ death.

Shortly after their death was announced, Liverpool-based organisation Sahir House received an influx of donations in memory of The Vivienne, who was a long-standing supporter of the charity and posted about it shortly before their death.

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