RuPaul’s Tribute to The Vivienne at DragCon London Following Tragic Death

RuPaul has broken his silence in public for the first time since the death of The Vivienne as he opened DragCon UK at the ExCel London on Friday.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner’s death last week at the age of 32 has plunged the drag community into mourning.

RuPaul, aged 64, was visibly emotional at the event where he was joined by his best friend Michelle Visage. He discovered the Welsh-born performer, whose real name is James Lee Williams, on season one of his popular BBC show. Michelle Visage wore a mini dress with ‘The Vivienne’ written across it.

He told the audience of DragCon UK: ‘We are here to celebrate life and celebrate love and to spread it around. We want to focus on love’. 

The event was a tribute to The Vivienne, with RuPaul expressing love and honoring her memory. He encouraged everyone to live freely, have fun, and spread love, just as The Vivienne did during her life.

At the event, organisers had set up a memorial wall and memorial books for the thousands of fans expected to attend over the weekend. This was a way for fans to remember the late entertainer who had won the UK series of the show back in 2019.

RuPaul has broken his silence in public for the first time since the death of The Vivienne as he opened DragCon UK at the ExCel London on Friday 

The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner’s death last week at the age of 32 has plunged the drag community into mourning

Organisers set up a memorial wall and memorial books where the thousand of fans who are expected to attend the event over the weekend can remember the late entertainer 

RuPaul, 64, who discovered the Welsh-born performer on season one of his hit BBC show, appeared visibly emotional with his best friend Michelle Visage (L) by his side

Some of the heartfelt messages read: ‘The UK winner’s circle has lost it’s crown jewel! I love you and will never forget you’. 

While others said: ‘Thank you for sharing your love and light with us’ we will miss you’: ‘You made such a big impact in many people’s lives, rest in peace’: ‘Thanks Viv for sharing your smile talent and light’.

Following the Vivienne’s death last week a spokesperson for Cheshire Police said officers were called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford at 12.22pm on Sunday following reports of a sudden death.

‘Police attended, investigated the circumstances of the death of the 32-year-old man and concluded there were no suspicious circumstances,’ said a police spokesman. ‘A file will be prepared for the coroner.’

It comes as RuPaul is weighing up his future on the BBC show which has been broadcasting since 2019. 

Friends have said the TV personality was ‘absolutely devastated’ by The Viv’s death and has been in bits about the sudden loss.

The tragedy has weighed so heavily on the presenter that he is now ‘seriously considering’ stepping away from his hosting duties on the show.

A friend of the star said: ‘This has come like a bolt out of the blue for Ru. The Vivienne was one of his brightest stars and everyone knows what a soft spot he had for them. He has been left absolutely devastated by their passing and is now weighing up his own future.

He told the audience of DragCon UK: ‘We are here to celebrate life and celebrate love and to spread it around. We want to focus on love’ (pictured together in 2020)

‘We are going to remember our dear The Vivienne with love and life, because that’s what she was all about and she would love for you to live your lives and to be free and to have a lot of fun and spread it around.’

Organisers set up a memorial wall and memorial books where the thousand of fans who are expected to attend the event over the weekend can remember the late entertainer 

Some of the heartfelt messages read: ‘The UK winner’s circle has lost it’s crown jewel! I love you and will never forget you’

Friends have said the TV personality was ‘absolutely devastated’ by The Viv’s death and has been in bits about the sudden loss (pictured 2020)

‘Ru is now seriously considering standing down from hosting the UK franchise, which will always be associated with The Viv.’

Sources said that the American drag queen has confided in those close to him that his filming schedule is packed and he ‘isn’t getting any younger’ and he believes the show is in ‘good hands’ with his co-presenters Michelle Visage, Alan Carr and Graham Norton.

On Wednesday RuPaul hit back at fellow drag star Tyra Sanchez posted a controversial tweet about The Vivienne.

Sanchez, real name James Ross, feuded with The Vivienne nearly five years ago and has reacted to news of the shock death with a scathing jibe about the late performer.

Sanchez reposted a tweet by The Vivienne from July 2020, in which the latter wrote: ‘Bet Tyra was fuming when she realised Netflix Spoiled the win too. Sorry gal. You tried though.’ Quoting the tweet, Sanchez retorted: ‘Yet it doesn’t compare to the fumes of the crematorium.’

Sanchez, another Drag Race alum, was met with a vociferous backlash on social media from fans of The Vivienne who were outraged over the post.

Amid the furor, RuPaul posted a throwback video on Instagram this Wednesday, showing him pretending to slap Sanchez during an acting challenge on Drag Race. 

While news of The Vivienne’s death triggered an outpouring of grief from fans, Sanchez, winner of the American version of the program in 2010, took to social media to rekindle a social media feud with The Vivienne from almost five years earlier by posting her crematorium tweet.

Met with opprobrium from fans and fellow drag stars alike, Sanchez was unrepentant, writing on social media the following day: ‘She’s dead. Rotting. Sending me all the hate in the world won’t bring her back. But do as you must. 

‘Because of you the tweet has reached over 25k individuals. Thanks for the much needed attention that I oh so desperately needed.’

And despite further criticism, with X users branding the drag queen ‘disgusting’ and ‘twisted’, Sanchez’s position became more entrenched on Tuesday evening, when she posted a picture of a crematorium furnace captioned: ‘Songs I would play if I owned a crematorium.’

The soundtrack to the post was the Alicia Keys hit Girl on Fire.

Social media users once again responded with fury, variously branding Sanchez ‘disgusting’, ‘despicable’ and ‘sad’. 

Williams, whose drag name The Vivienne was rooted in a love of the fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, first garnered attention in 2015 as the British drag ambassador for the US version of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Four years later, Williams won the first UK edition of the show, later appearing in series seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. The drag artist also finished third in the finals of Dancing on Ice in 2023.

Other career milestones came with appearances in a touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a turn as the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz.

‘I love Vivienne Westwood and when I moved to Liverpool everyone used to call me Vivienne as I was head to toe in Westwood,’ The Vivienne explained in 2019. 

‘My style is like a Scouse wife who has come into money, she moved to LA and blew it all and then she’s had to move back to Liverpool.’