The Vivienne inquest confirms star was ‘found by neighbour’ two days after death

The Vivienne was found by a neighbour in the bathtub after being dead ‘for a couple of days’, an inquest has heard.

The RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star, whose real name was James Lee Williams, died aged 32 at home in Cheshire on January 5 this year, with their family revealing two months later that they died ‘from the effects of ketamine use causing a cardiac arrest’.

An inquest on Monday morning heard that the star had been lying dead in the water for ‘a couple of days’ by the time they were found. The coroner concluded that they ‘did not intend’ to end their own life.

A forensic toxicologist added that there was a ‘relatively high’ level of ketamine in their system, which suggested ‘moderate to excessive use’ of the drug before their death, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.

The inquest was heard by senior coroner Jacqueline Devonish at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington, who said: ‘[Williams]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 added: ‘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.’

The Vivienne was found dead in the bathroom of their home near Chester, the opening of the inquest was told, while police attended and confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

The last time anyone had contact with them was on the previous Friday evening, when their friend, Bobby Musker, told Warrington Coroner’s Court it was evident the entertainer had taken ketamine.

‘He struggled with his sobriety but he really tried his hardest not to do it. It was not a constant thing,’ he added.

Musker said he was the last to see Williams in a video call around 8.30pm on the Friday evening before his body was found on the following Sunday, but he then alerted Williams’ neighbour, Janine Godbold, to go round to his house around lunchtime on Sunday, after concern over a lack of contact.

The inquest into their death heard that five drug snap bags were found in the property, including in a bedroom draw and a bin in the bathroom.

Dr David Butterworth, the pathologist who carried out the post-mortem, said there was no evidence of drowning.

His report said the use of ketamine could have contributed to toxicity and death, and the amounts found in Williams’ body could have been higher when he was alive than the levels found after death due to the passage of time.

He concluded: ‘This man has died form the effects of cardio respiratory arrest due to the use of ketamine.’

Speaking to the court, the late star’s sister Chanel said: ‘We acknowledge that James’ death is as a result of drug use but we wholeheartedly know that was not their intention.

‘They loved life, they loved their family and friends and they loved their career. We feel that the conclusion should be one of misadventure.’

During their time on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, The Vivienne opened up about their struggles with drug addiction.

The star, who was the show’s first ever winner in 2019, said on the programme at the time: ‘It was party, drugs, but I couldn’t leave the drugs at the party, it was constant for me.’

They added that their addiction was a ‘habit that caught on a bit too quick and a bit too hard’.