Chanel Williams, the sister of James Lee Williams, also known as drag icon The Vivienne, says her family only learned of the drag performer’s battle with ketamine addiction, which tragically took their life in January, after watching RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Chanel
Chanel Williams, the sister of James Lee Williams, also known as drag icon The Vivienne, says her family only learned of the drag performer’s battle with ketamine addiction, which tragically took their life in January, after watching RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Chanel says The Vivienne, 32, had kept the struggle – including being hospitalised because of the drug – a secret from the family “to protect them”.
Chanel says her brother had “a really long period of sobriety” before relapsing, something she says the family only discovered after their death.
“A big thing for me now is, had I asked the questions or just looked for the signs, would the outcome be different?” she says.
The Vivienne was praised for speaking openly about ketamine abuse and the struggle of becoming sober while appearing on Drag Race UK, which aired in 2019.
Chanel, who is now hoping to continue that legacy by campaigning to encourage people to talk openly about substance abuse, believes the stigma around addiction, and her brother’s successful career on stage and TV, meant they didn’t seek professional help.
“He’d spoken openly on Drag Race about the battles he’d had with addiction, and he’d come through the other side of that,” she says.
“He was at the height of everything he was doing and I think because he’d said it in such a open platform, it’s really difficult to come back and say you’re struggling again.”
Since making the announcement, they’ve been working with substance abuse charity Adferiad to raise awareness and tackle stigma around the drug, something Chanel says is an “important step” in those facing addiction.
“It’s hard for me because I think if that stigma wasn’t there, would my brother have sought the help he needed?” she says.
Chanel and her family are also campaigning for the government to re-classify ketamine from its current status as a Class B drug to Class A, which would put it in the same category as heroin and cocaine.
“There’s a portion of younger people that maybe look at that classification and think it’s less harmful than other drugs,” she says.
“But it’s not just about reclassification […] it needs to include education, police, health, to really raise awareness. We need a strategy around drug usage and drug deaths in the UK.”
Chanel said it had been difficult to share the information about how The Vivienne had passed away but that the family “talked about what we can do”.
“The Vivienne left a legacy as a trailblazing icon and this, I feel, is James’s legacy. To help other people,” she says.
“If I can help one family to not feel what we are feeling, then it’s all worth it.”
