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The stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK came together for an emotional and heartfelt tribute to The Vivienne, delivering a powerful performance that left audiences in tears
Drag Race stars honour The Vivienne at Metro’s Pride Awards
The Vivienne has been honoured by their fellow Drag Race UK stars.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star was honoured at the Metro Pride Awards following their sudden death in January. Remembering the icon on the night, The Vivienne’s fellow Drag Race UK star’s performed a dance in honour of their late friend. Cheryl Hole led the performance alongside Tia Kofi, Baga Chips, and Danny Beard.
Introducing the performance, Rylan Clark said it was a tribute to “all of their fantastic work” before the Drag Race stars lept on stage to pay homage to ‘The Queen of Drag’. It started with an emotional montage of The Vivienne’s rise to fame from when they first appeared on the MTV show back in 2015.
The montage continued with some of their most iconic moments, including their famous impersonation of Donald Trump, as the audience at The Metro Awards tried their best to hold their tears from falling. Before the montage ended, The Vivienne’s Drag Race long-time friends walked on stage to give a powerful performance in honour of the late star.
The Vivienne was also posthumously honoured with the Icon Award following their heartbreaking passing last month. Speaking on stage, host Rylan Clark said: “The Vivienne as we know was a true force of nature in the drag world, breaking barriers and inspiring so many of us with their talent, wit and heart.
“They were a true icon and the legacy will live on in everything that they did. Tonight, we are paying tribute to The Vivienne at the Metro Pride Awards, with the Metro Pride Awards Icon Award.”
Rylan then introduced The Vivienne’s close friend and publicist, Simon Jones to the stage, before their sister and dad collected the trophy while delivering an emotional speech. As he held back his tears, Simon said: “You’ll have to bare with me because it’s quite emotional for me to talk about Viv. I’m going to say a few words about Vivienne’s legacy. Viv was a really good friend of mine, a client and someone I cared for deeply. The Vivienne was the queen of UK drag and no-one disputes that.”
Simon went on to add that the outpouring of love and grief following their death was a testament to their legacy. “To the UK DragRace Queens, in particular, Viv was a mentor and someone they could turn to for advice,” he said. Simon went on to say: “Theatre is where we saw their future. I feel confident they would have become a huge award winning musical star and eventually cross over to Broadway.
“We must remember Viv as the warmhearted, positive and kind person that they were. Viv leaves a legacy as one of the greatest drag stars and one of the greatest entertainment stars the UK has ever seen. Her presence and legacy will be felt forever.”
The tribute, performed by the stars of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, was a touching moment as The Vivienne’s profound impact on the LGBTQ+ community was celebrated. Members of The Vivienne’s family accepted the award on their behalf, ensuring their legacy continues to inspire.
The Vivienne was found dead in the bathroom of their Cheshire home, an inquest heard. The 32 year old performer, whose real name was James Lee Williams, was discovered at their residence in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, on January 5.
At a recent hearing at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington, which took place on February 12th, it was revealed that police had ruled out any suspicious circumstances surrounding the death. Coroner’s officer Amanda Edgar stated: “Post-mortem testing has been undertaken, identifying an unnatural cause of death.”
The inquest, which lasted just two minutes, heard that the late star was identified by their father, Lee Williams. Area coroner Victoria Davies announced: “Given the unnatural cause of death identified on post-mortem testing it is appropriate for me to formally open the inquest into the death of James Lee Williams.” She confirmed that further inquiries were needed and adjourned the case, with a full inquest scheduled for June 30. The brief session was attended by four members of the media.
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