James Lee Williams, higher often called drag star The Vivienne, died from a cardiac arrest attributable to the results of taking ketamine, their household has stated.
The performer’s sister Chanel Williams stated her household “proceed to be utterly devastated” by the demise of the 32-year-old and might be working with a substance abuse charity to lift consciousness of the hazards of the drug.
The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner was discovered lifeless at their residence in Cheshire in January, with celebrities and followers world wide paying tribute.
An inquest is scheduled to happen in June.
Cheshire Police stated there aren’t any suspicious circumstances surrounding the performer’s demise.
Simon Jones, Williams’ supervisor and shut pal, stated the household felt it was essential to share the circumstances of their demise.
He stated: “I hope by us releasing this info we will increase consciousness in regards to the risks of ongoing ketamine utilization and what it may do to your physique.”
Williams, who grew up in Colwyn Bay in north Wales earlier than shifting to Liverpool, received the primary sequence of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019 and went on to have a diverse profession in TV and theatre.
They later grew to become the one queen from a UK sequence to compete on the US model of Drag Race All Stars.
Their household stated they “introduced the glint to life” and might be missed “for eternity” throughout an emotional vigil in Liverpool shortly after Williams’ demise.
Celebrities together with singer Jade Thirlwall and Ian “H” Watkins from Steps, in addition to a number of fellow drag queens, attended the funeral alongside household and pals in Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, on the finish of January.
The Vivienne was praised for elevating consciousness of substance abuse throughout their time competing on sequence one in every of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, the place they freely mentioned how they sought assist for his or her ketamine habit.
The Williams household now hopes to proceed this legacy by working with substance abuse charity Adferiad on a marketing campaign aimed toward opening up conversations about substance abuse and habit.
Talking for the household, Ms Williams stated: “Ketamine is a particularly harmful drug that’s changing into increasingly more prevalent within the UK.
“If we may help increase consciousness of the hazards of this drug and assist individuals who could also be coping with ketamine habit then one thing optimistic will come from this whole tragedy.”
Ketamine, a strong horse tranquiliser and anaesthetic, is a licensed drug and may be prescribed medically, however its utilization as an unlawful substance is rising amongst younger folks.
In England, the variety of under-18s getting into drug remedy who describe ketamine as one in every of their drawback substances rose from 335 to 917 between 2020-21 and 2023-24, based on the Nationwide Drug Therapy Monitoring System.
Donna Chavez, a spokesperson for Adferiad, which runs a specialist detox and rehabilitation centre, stated they have been “extremely grateful” to Williams’ household for his or her assist.
She added: “Their braveness in sharing James’ story will assist increase very important consciousness of the devastating influence substance use can have.
“We’re seeing a worrying rise within the variety of folks utilizing ketamine, typically unaware of the intense dangers it poses to their bodily and psychological well being.
“By opening conversations and difficult misconceptions, we may help forestall additional tragedies and assist these in want to seek out hope and restoration.”
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