RuPaul remembers The Vivienne’s passion for ‘love and life’ at DragCon event

Drag queen and TV presenter RuPaul, who hosts the US, American and Australian versions of the popular reality competition show, told the crowd at the Excel in London on Friday that he was “here to celebrate life, to celebrate love”.

He added: “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.

“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?”

Standing close to his friend, the RuPaul’s Drag Race judge and BBC Radio 2 presenter Michelle Visage, who wore a T-shirt with The Vivienne’s name on it, then cut the ribbon to open the drag convention, which lasts until Saturday.

RuPaul previously said on Instagram that his heart was “broken”, and he was “mourning the loss of The Vivienne — an incredibly talented queen and a lovely human being”.

Elsewhere, a memorial wall and book was put up for fans and performers at the event to write messages remembering The Vivienne.

The written posts included RuPaul’s Drag Race UK contestants Charity Kase and Alexis Saint-Pete.

English performer Kase wrote: “The world was better with you in it.”

Polish drag queen Saint-Pete wrote: “We love you so much, and miss you even more.”

The event is billed as the “largest gathering of Drag Race queens and fans in the world”.

Tributes have come flooding in for The Vivienne, who competed on an all-winners season of the RuPaul franchise in the US in 2022, the only UK contestant for that series, starred in BBC Three show The Vivienne Takes On Hollywood in 2020, and was on Channel 4’s Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up To Cancer in 2022.

Coronation Street star Antony Cotton, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash, Visage, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and Doctor Who star Jinkx Monsoon, Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood, Dancing On Ice judge Oti Mabuse and former EastEnders actress Patsy Palmer are among those who have posted tributes to the drag queen.

Williams, who was born in Wales, adopted the drag name as they were known for wearing Vivienne Westwood clothing.

They performed as the wicked witch of the west in a UK and Ireland tour of The Wizard Of Oz musical and reprised the role in the West End at the Gillian Lynne Theatre last year.

They were due to be back on tour next month performing in the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang musical in the role of The Childcatcher.

A spokesman for Cheshire Police said officers had been called to an address in Chorlton-by-Backford, near Chester, at 12.22pm on Sunday following reports of a sudden death.

The spokesman said: “Police attended, investigated the circumstances of the death of the 32-year-old man and concluded there were no suspicious circumstances. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”