The household of The Vivienne have revealed the drag star died from a cardiac arrest attributable to the results of taking ketamine.
The star – actual title James Lee Williams – was discovered useless on January 5 on the age of 32 at their residence in Cheshire. Police later confirmed that there have been no suspicious circumstances round their passing.
Now, The Vivienne’s sister Chanel Williams has informed the BBC that the household need to draw consideration to the circumstances of the tragedy with a purpose to increase consciousness of the hazards of the drug.
“Ketamine is a particularly harmful drug that’s turning into an increasing number of prevalent within the UK,” she mentioned. “If we may help increase consciousness of the hazards of this drug and assist individuals who could also be coping with ketamine dependancy then one thing constructive will come from this whole tragedy.”
Simon Jones, The Vivienne’s supervisor and shut good friend, mentioned: “I hope by us releasing this info we are able to increase consciousness concerning the risks of ongoing ketamine utilization and what it could actually do to your physique.”
An inquest into The Vivienne’s dying will is ready to happen in June.
The star was the inaugural winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019, having already risen to prominence in 2015 after turning into the UK Drag Ambassador for the American sequence.
Williams, who was born in Wales, additionally got here third on the 2023 sequence of Dancing On Ice, and was additionally identified for his or her function within the musical model of The Wizard Of Oz.
A funeral was held in North Wales in January, with former Little Combine star JADE and JLS singer Aston Merrygold in attendance, in addition to Ian ‘H’ Watkins of Steps, Coronation Avenue star Claire Sweeney, comic Jayde Adams, former Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona, actress Jennifer Ellison and TV persona Kim Woodburn.
Williams’ ex-husband David Ludford additionally paid tribute shortly after the information of their passing broke, writing: “My coronary heart actually sank after I acquired the decision!! My coronary heart is shattered!!! By no means in one million years did I believe I’d ever be writing something like this”. He would go on to explain his former accomplice as an “angel”. The couple divorced in 2023 after six years collectively.
