'RuPaul's Drag Race UK' winner The Vivienne cause of death revealed
Drag artist The Vivienne died from cardiac arrest caused by the effects of taking ketamine, their family said.
The RuPaul's Drag Race UK season 1 winner, whose real name is James Lee Williams, passed away on Jan. 6 at 32.
Their sister Chanel Williams shared the performer's cause of death to raise awareness of the dangers of the drug. She said their family continues to be "completely devastated" by the drag artist's passing.
"Ketamine is an extremely dangerous drug that is becoming more and more prevalent in the UK," Chanel told the BBC.
"If we can help raise awareness of the dangers of this drug and help people who may be dealing with ketamine addiction then something positive will come from this complete tragedy.
The drag artist's manager, Simone Jones, echoed the importance of sharing details of their death.
"I hope by us releasing this information, we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body," he said.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that's illegally used as a recreational drug due to its hallucinogenic effects.
Friends star Matthew Perry died of an accidental ketamine overdose in October 2023.
The Vivienne opened up about about their battle with addiction in an episode of Drag Race UK.
An inquest into their death is set for June.
The Williams family will be working with substance abuse charity Adferiad for a campaign on talking about addiction.
The Vivienne emerged as the winner of the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK in 2019. They also made an appearance in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 7.
Williams dropped their debut EP, B*tch, in 2022. Aside from being a musician, they were also a stage actor who took part in a stage adaptation of The Wizard of Oz in 2023 at London's West End.
