A coroner in the United Kingdom has ruled that drag star The Vivienne died from misadventure after suffering cardio-respiratory arrest after taking the drug ketamine.
James Lee Williams, 32, found fame on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and was a celebrated drag performer on the global stage. On Sunday 5th January he was found in the bath by a neighbor at his home in Chorlton-by-Blackfore in Cheshire.
The last time Williams had been seen by anyone was two days earlier, the court was told, when a friend said it was evident the performer had taken ketamine.
Back in March Williams’ family publicly shared the results of an autopsy that show use of the drug had led to the death.
Speaking to the BBC publicist Simon Jones said the family felt it was important to share the information to raise awareness.
“I hope by us releasing this information we can raise awareness about the dangers of ongoing ketamine usage and what it can do to your body,” he said.
The performer’s sister Chanel Williams said the family still “continues to be completely devastated” by her brother’s passing they really wanted to make sure some good came out of the tragic situation.
“If we can help raise awareness of the dangers of this drug and help people who may be dealing with ketamine addiction then something positive will come from this complete tragedy,” she said.
Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic originally developed in the 1960s for medical use in both humans and animals, and its still widely used in medical treatment today. It is also used as a party drug because of it’s hallucinogenic and dissociative effects.
In 2023 actor Matthew Perry died from accidental drowning in a hot tub at his property after consuming ketamine. Five people were subsequently charged in connection with helping him access the drug.
Following Williams’ passing the family have campaigned for the drug to be reclassified in the UK as a Class-A drug, rather than it’s current categorisation as a Class-B drug. They argue that the lower ranking leads people to a belief that the drug is not life-threatening.
Earlier this year the BBC reported that there is a growing number of young people in the UK seeking help for addiction to ketamine, and the availability of the drug is growing.
The court heard that Williams was not experiencing any mental health challenges, but was known to occasionally use the drug. He had been praised for publicly sharing his past challenges with substance abuse.
Jacqueline Devonish, the senior coroner for Cheshire said there was no evidence that Williams had planned self-harm.
“The medical cause of death is cardio-respiratory arrest due to ketamine use. The conclusion, on the balance of probabilities, is that I’m satisfied that James Williams’s death was a misadventure, he took ketamine but he did not intend to take his own life.” she said.
