RuPaul honours The Vivienne at DragCon UK

During the opening of DragCon UK, RuPaul – of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame of course – kicked off proceedings with a heartwarming speech to honour The Vivienne.

The drag expo began on January 10 at the ExCel London Convention Centre, featuring show stopping performances, meet-and-greets, iconic experiences, and one-of-a-kind merchandise.

As they welcomed fans to the event, RuPaul took a moment to honour The Vivienne. They said: “We want to focus on love, and we are going to remember our dear The Vivienne with love, life, and happiness because that’s what she was all about.”

“She would love for you to live your lives, to be free, to have a lot of fun and to spread it around.”

In addition to RuPaul’s touching speech, DragCon also featured a memorial booth for The Vivienne so that attendees could pay tribute to the former drag queen and share their love for her.

Rupaul on the Vivienne’s passing at the Pink Carpet of DragCon UK pic.twitter.com/vteKDQPBph

— Ra✨🦋 (@itssimplyangel) January 10, 2025

The Vivienne’s passing was announced on January 5 by her publicist, Simon Jones, in a statement posted to Instagram.

Jones wrote: “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,” Jones said.

The announcement of The Vivienne’s death led to tributes pouring in from thousands of fans, celebrities, and former Drag Race stars, including Bianca Del Rio, Bimini, and Michelle Visage.

RuPaul also mourned the loss of The Vivienne, who won the first-ever season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 as well as making history by crossing over to the U.S series an appearing in All Stars 7, describing her on Instagram as an “incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being”.

In addition to her Drag Race success, The Vivienne appeared on Celebrity Juice, Celebrity Mastermind, Emmerdale, and Dancing on Ice – becoming the first drag queen to compete on the show.