In two separate Instagram posts dedicated to The Vivienne, Jones wrote: “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.”

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A post shared by Simon Jones (@simonjonespr)

He continued: “Viv was a close friend, a client and someone I loved every much… Their talent was immense and the light they brought to every room was astonishing. No one has ever made me laugh in my life as much as Viv did. Their comic genius and quick wit was like no other. I’m so proud and lucky that Viv was such a big part of my life every day for the last 5 years… I am heartbroken and devasted at this news. RIP my wonderful friend. You left us way too soon.”

Williams’ drag name ‘The Vivienne’ emerged from a love of fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Hailing from Wales, they quickly became a prominent name in mainstream drag culture after they were crowned champion of the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019. This success led them to star in BBC Three’s The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood in 2020, compete in an all-winners season of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2022 and finish third place in the 2023 edition of Dancing On Ice.

The Vivienne had also established a prominent position in musical theatre, having starred as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard Of Oz musical, which toured all over the UK and Ireland. However, most recently the drag artist finished a string of shows playing The Child Catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, set to reprise their role again in February.

Despite Williams’ PR manager stating: “we will not be releasing any further details” surrounding The Vivienne’s death, the tragic news has made the rounds online as countless tributes have come in to celebrate Williams’ talent and legacy.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage wrote: “Heartbreaking. I don’t know how to say how I feel… My darling The Vivienne we go back to when I started coming over here to the UK. You were always there, always laughing, always giving, always on point. Your laughter, your wit, your talent, your drag. I loved all of it but I loved your friendship most of all. You were a beacon to so many.”

Concluding: “I love you my darling. You will be so missed my lovely. May your light shine fiercely, forever. RIP MY ANGEL fly high.”

The passing of The Vivienne marks the loss of one of the UK’s pioneers in bringing drag into the mainstream of 21^st century culture.

“Tonight” is an electropop banger infused with a club vibe that reminds us the early stuff of Adam Lambert. Filled with an infectious hook and escapist lyrics, the song surely will intensify the urge to go out and have fun tonight.

Stephen McElroy is listed as the songwriter of the track, while EcElroy and CUTMORE (remixer of songs by Rihanna, Beyonce and Sia) are the producers. Have a listen to the track and watch a futuristic lyric video here.

About the new single, the Drag Race winner opened up with Gay Times that she did not expect to make music in the first place. “It’s something I never thought I’d do. When you go on Drag Race, it’s the cookie cutter thing that queens do. You release a single, blah blah blah, but it felt so natural. I never thought it would happen,” said Viv.

She also hoped that the “Tonight” tune would cheer everyone up in this lockdown time: “We’re all stuck in the house and the news says gigs might not be coming back until next year, which is expected. Having the single ready to go now, I think it’s a great thing to just lift people’s spirits.”

All in all, Viv told Attitude that she was “excited” for everyone to hear the song. She also explained that the single did “not sound like a drag queen song” and hoped that it would attract a wider audience.

ดูโพสต์นี้บน Instagram

OUT NOW! Please go and give it a download on @itunes ! Thank you so much for all the positivity so far! LINK IN BIO #thevivienne #tonight

โพสต์ที่แชร์โดย THE Vivienne (@thevivienne_) เมื่อ พ.ค. 20, 2020 เวลา 1:24am PDT

The Vivienne, whose real name is James Lee Williams, is a drag queen from Liverpool who rose to fame from entering the breakthrough UK edition of phenomenal drag queen competition and reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race back in 2019. Throughout eight episodes, the Vivienne was shining out as a talented versatile performer and finally took home the crown, beating rivals Divina de Campo and Baga Chipz.

The Liverpudlian queen is also known for her iconic and shockingly precise impersonation of America’s 45th president Donald Trump in Snatch Game. After taking the crown, she has gone on tour and done many shows, including WOW Presents Plus’s Morning T&T with fellow Baga Chipz who portrayed Margaret Thetcher in the same challenge.

The Vivienne also has a show on BBC Three entitled The Vivienne Takes on Hollywood. It features her journey to Los Angeles to film a music video of her pop debut and train with Hollywood mentors, which was already premiered back in April.