RuPaul commemorates The Vivienne at DragCon event

Ru Paul still remembers one of his franchise stars, The Vivienne.

The TV personality just paid tribute to James Lee Williams, who was professionally known as The Vivienne and passed away on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at the age of 32.

Opening the RuPaul’s DragCon UK, American actor and Drag Queen, who also hosts the US, American and Australian versions of the popular reality show, told the crowd that he was “here to celebrate life, to celebrate love.”

“We are here to start these festivities, but before we do that, we want to focus on love, and we’re going to remember our dear, The Vivienne, with love, life, and that’s what she was all about,” RuPaul added.

“She would love for you to live your lives and to be free and to have a lot of fun and to spread it around, isn’t that right?” he further mentioned.

As he stood close by Michelle Visage, a friend of his as well as the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge, wearing a T-shirt with The Vivienne’s name on it, the 64-year-old celebrity then cut the ribbon to open the drag convention, which would go on until Saturday.

Previously, after hearing of The Vivenne’s demise, on his official Instagram account, RuPaul wrote, “With a broken heart, I join the entire Drag Race universe in mourning the loss of The Vivienne—an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being.”