The Vivienne’s friend reveals heartbreaking detail about RuPaul star’s final days
The Vivienne, real name James Lee Williams, was found dead at the age of 32 over the weekend, with the RuPaul Drag Race star’s friend Myra DuBois now speaking out
A close friend of The Vivienne has revealed the extent of the horrific abuse they suffered in the days leading up to their death.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race star, whose real name was James Lee Williams, was found dead by their heartbroken father and stepmother on January 5. Police were called at 12.22 p.m. that day. It’s believed The Vivienne, who was just 32 years old, had died one or two days before their body was discovered.
While the cause of death has not been disclosed yet, police have stated there were “no suspicious circumstances.” In the weeks leading up to the tragedy, The Vivienne sadly received some vile homophobic abuse, according to their pal Myra DuBois.
Myra, whose real name is Gareth Joyner, has lashed out at those who “bombarded” The Vivienne in their final weeks, urging people to “challenge transphobia when they encounter it.”
The Vivienne experienced horrific abuse (
BBC)
Taking to Instagram the drag queen expressed their grief and frustration following The Vivienne’s death, stating, “I don’t know how The Vivienne left us, and I will be respecting the family request for privacy by not trying to find out, or by fueling rumors. I do know that after appearing on Blankety Blank over Christmas they were bombarded with a slew of homophobic abuse.”
Myra then highlighted the hurtful comments left on posts announcing The Vivienne’s death. They said, “I also know that the comments sections on posts announcing their passing are filling up with comments like ‘one less’ and ‘rest in hell’. I need you to know this. I want you to acknowledge this. To me, to your colleagues, to your family. I want you to acknowledge it when there are no LGBTQ+ people in the room with you.”
They emphasized the importance of taking action to support the LGBTQ+ community, urging, “You can’t just post how sad you are when LGBTQ+ people die. I want you to ask if you’re doing everything you can to keep all LGBTQ+ people alive.”
Myra Dubois has spoken out (
Getty Images)
Myra urged people to reflect on their actions, questioning whether they make an effort to use correct pronouns and post loving comments to counteract hate. Myra concluded, “I don’t care how you answer, it’s between you and yourself. But in the last few years, I have buried so many friends, all of them LGBTQ+, all of them taken too soon. And it is NOT because of the ‘lifestyle choice’. It’s the burden of shame. Society murders queers, and I am so, so angry.”
Announcing The Vivienne’s death, a statement from their representative read, “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.”
It concluded with a plea for fans to respect for the family’s privacy, “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.”
