A “kind and highly talented” drag superstar from Liverpool tragically passed away after suffering a cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine use at their Cheshire home, an inquest has concluded. Friends recounted the distressing moment they discovered James Lee Williams – better known as The Vivienne – in the bath at their Chorlton-by-Backford residence on Sunday, January 5. It is believed they had died two days prior.
During the inquest into James’ death at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington, family and close friends paid tribute to the drag star, who rose to prominence after winning the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK as The Vivienne, and was widely recognised and adored in Liverpool. James used the pronouns they/them in life, however in evidence given to the inquest “he or him” was at times used.
Friends and family told the inquest they became worried for James on Sunday, January 5 having not heard from them for some time. Friend and neighbour Janine Godbold told the hearing that after speaking with James’ friends, she decided to drive to their house, for which she had a key, reports the Liverpool Echo.
She and her son Ryan grew increasingly anxious as they reached the house and saw James’ dog Panda frantically trying to escape. They entered the house and went upstairs where Janine found James in the bath.
Janine told the inquest: “He just looked like he was sleeping. I ran over to him and put my hand under his head to stop his face going into the water. I screamed for Ryan, telling him he needed to call for an ambulance and to get some help. I kept hold of them because I didn’t want their face in the water. Then I just sat with James and made sure his head didn’t go under the water.”
James’ best friend Bobby Musker also took the stand, saying James was “the kindest person I knew, who would help everyone.” Musker noted James’ issues with ketamine, sharing that he would go ‘long stints’ without using the drug, before later returning.
He had chatted to James on Friday, January 3, and expressed in court his belief that James seemed to have used the drug, mentioning James’ trip to Liverpool via Uber as a potential sign of going to pick up the substance.
Mr Musker added: “I could kind of tell when he was on it, so I could tell he had taken some. Him taking drugs didn’t define him as a person. He did so much good. I don’t want the public to see him just as what has happened, with drug use, that wasn’t the person that defined him. There was a lot more to him.”
During an inquest, a written statement by Dr David Butterworth, a forensic pathologist who examined James post-mortem, was presented to the court. Dr Butterworth maintained that the cause of death was due to cardio-respiratory arrest from ketamine use, adding that although the detected levels were not usually fatal, they could have been higher initially as James’ body was undiscovered for two days. He stated: “In my opinion, the cause of death was cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine use.”
At an earlier stage of the proceedings, Lee Eliott Williams, James’ father, described his son as “full of life” and a supportive figure within their community and among fellow drag queens. Mr Williams said: “He never turned his back on anyone, he wanted to help his community, to help other drag queens achieve their goals.”
Before delivering the verdict, Senior Coroner Jacqueline Devonish consulted with the family regarding their perspective on the tragic event. Chanel, James’ sister, expressed to the court: “We acknowledge that James’ death is as a result of drug use but we wholeheartedly know that was not his intention. He loved life, he loved his family and friends and he loved his career. We feel that the conclusion should be one of misadventure.”
In her final statement, Ms Devonish described James as “hard-working, highly talented, charismatic and well liked and loved.” She continued: “He did a lot for his community and he made a name for himself as a performing artist and as a drag artist as The Vivienne. His family say he was very bold in pursuit of his dreams and that he made a difference. It is very important to the family that James is not remembered for his use of ketamine, because drugs don’t define the person he was.”
The coroner deduced that it’s likely James died on the night of Friday January 3, mentioning that the toxicology report revealed a significant presence of ketamine remaining in James’ system when discovered two days following their disappearance, indicating an “acute overdose”.
She declared that the official medical cause of death would be noted as cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine usage.
Ending the inquest, the coroner stated: “On the balance of probabilities, I am satisfied that James Lee Williams’ death was a misadventure. He took ketamine but he did not intend to end his own life.”
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