‘I was at The Vivienne’s emotional vigil – one organic moment was beautiful’
Hundreds of people gathered in Liverpool to celebrate The Vivienne at a vigil tonight, and a spontaneous moment during the ceremony was particularly special for the attendees.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, real name James Lee Williams, died on Sunday January 5 aged 32. Now, a week later, fans, family and friends alike paid tribute to the star at an event held on the steps of St George’s Hall. As well as moving speeches, beautiful musical performances, there was also one point that saw the well-wishers spontaneously release balloons into the sky.
Former Emmerdale actor Liam Fox, who starred alongside Williams in theatre show Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, was there to pay his respects, alongside his actress wife Joanna Fox. Williams had a brief cameo on the ITV soap in 2021, but did not cross paths with Liam, who played Dan Spencer, until years later when they were picked for the same musical cast.
Speaking of the emotional event, Liam, 54, told Metro: ‘It was so beautiful. She was so loved by all who knew her which makes it all the more tragic to have lost her so young when there was so much more ahead for her.
‘I loved all the speakers, I loved all the stories from when she was starting out on the drag scene. There was laughter and tears.
‘The balloon release, which happened organically during the song For Good, was particularly beautiful,’ he stated. The famous song features in Wicked – Williams played the role of Wicked Witch in the West End musical.
Liam first met Williams in September but said he feels like he’s ‘known them forever’. In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Williams played the Child Catcher, while Liam is Grandpa Potts in the touring production.
‘Viv was a world class star, breaking boundaries and shining light wherever she went, but for them, there was no place like home,’ he added.
‘Liverpool, and her family and friends, did Viv proud tonight.
‘It was something else, it was just lovely. I’m just proud to have known them and worked with them for the time that I did. It’s all very sad, but the memories that are left behind are something else,’ he summarised.
St George’s Hall was lit up green in honour of Williams’ starring role in Wicked. Other buildings across the city, including the Liverpool Empire, were also lit up in the same colour. The area was also full of light thanks to phone torches and candles held high in the air by the attendees, which they swayed softly during a moving rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Joey & the Hot Tub Boys’ performances of Heart of Stone by Cher and Heroes by David Bowie.
The vigil featured touching speeches, including from manager Simon Jones, who said ‘there is literally no one who has made me laugh as much as Viv.’
‘There was a magic about her. The Vivienne was the queen of UK drag,’ he added.
Fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Danny Beard also spoke of the strong bond he shared with Williams, and said that they wished Williams hadn’t ‘left the party early’. ‘They taught us it was OK to live out loud,’ they movingly added.
Radio presenter Pete Price said that Williams was set to become an even bigger star as his career was just getting started.
His best friend Bobby Musker called Williams ‘the brightest star I’ve ever known,’ and said they had an ‘unmistakable energy that made them stand out in the crowd’.
A special message was also read out from Williams’ family by Bobby: ‘As a family we are completely overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for James, The Vivienne.’
They shared that their ‘son, brother, uncle and true icon’ was ‘destined for the stage’.
‘The road was not easy but the dream never, ever changed and James would always tell us that they would make it happen and they did,’ they continued.
‘We will miss you for an eternity and for an eternity we will all love you.’
His young niece Isabella said: ‘Thank you very much for coming. I love you uncle James’ leading to cheers from the well-wishers.
The event was organised by Sahir House, the oldest LGBTQ+ charity in Liverpool, who Williams was an ambassador for. They asked for people to kindly donate in Williams’ honour as the causes meant so much to them.
They added that there would be a book of condolence at the Museum of Liverpool over the next week, which would eventually be given to Williams’ family.
On the same evening, Dancing On Ice also shared their own tribute for the star, but viewers were left disappointed, calling it ‘disgusting’.
Williams was born and raised in North Wales, but moved to Liverpool at 16.
They competed and won the first UK series of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2019 and entered the competition again in the seventh series, which was an All-Stars edition in 2022.
Their other TV credits include Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted in 2022 in aid of Stand Up to Cancer.
The following year, they made history as the first-ever drag queen to compete in Dancing On Ice and finished in third place with professional partner Colin Grafton.
Williams last appeared on screens just days ago, starring in the festive special of Blankety Blank on Boxing Day.
Williams married David Ludford in 2019, but they announced their separation in April 2023.
‘I was at The Vivienne’s emotional vigil – one organic moment was beautiful’