Singer Paul Cattermole, a member of the Y2K-era British pop group S Club 7, has died at 46 — just weeks after the band announced its 25th-anniversary reunion tour.
“We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul,” read a statement posted Friday on the band’s website and social media. “There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.
“He will be so deeply missed by every one of us,” the statement continued. “We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time.”
Paul Cattermole and fellow bandmate Hannah looks on as they perform with pop group S Club 7 on stage at Wembley Arena in London in 2002. Yui Mok/PA via Associated Press file
According to the Associated Press and BBC, the singer was declared dead on Thursday after being found at his Dorset home in southwest England. No cause was disclosed, but Dorset Police told the outlets that “there were no suspicious circumstances.”
Cattermole’s death comes weeks after S Club 7 announced in February that it would embark on its reunion tour. The seven-person troupe, whose hits include “Reach,” “Don’t Stop Movin'” and “S Club Party,” planned an 11-date run in the U.K. and Ireland beginning in October.
The Brit Award-winning outfit was formed in 1998 by Spice Girls mastermind Simon Fuller, who launched the group on a children’s TV show about a pop band in which each member played fictional versions of themselves.
The “S Club 7 in Miami” stars signed with Polydor Records and topped the charts with their 1999 debut single, “Bring It All Back.” The septet released four albums, starred in children’s TV shows, and notably performed at Buckingham Palace in 2002 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Cattermole left the band later that year to pursue a solo career.
More recently, he did personal tarot readings and posted music and vlogs on his YouTube channel, building a following of more than 2,000 subscribers.
The musician, whose grandfather worked at the iconic Abbey Road studios, was resolved to find work in music at a young age, the BBC reported. He entered the National Youth Music Theatre as a teenager and formed a heavy metal band at 16, just years before his transition to pop music because the opportunity was too good to pass up. He joined S Club 7 around age 21.
“Pop Idol” and “American Idol” creator Fuller, who managed the group, told the BBC that Cattermole “was a beacon of light for a generation of pop music fans and he will be greatly missed. We’re all deeply shocked and saddened by this news.”
The remaining members of the band are Hannah Spearritt, whom Cattermole dated for five years while in the band, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Rachel Stevens, and Jo O’Meara.
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