West News Wire: Early 2000s British pop group S Club 7 member Paul Cattermole passed away only a few weeks after the band announced a reunion tour. He was 46.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved son and brother Paul Cattermole,” the band and Cattermole’s family said in a statement on Friday.
Cattermole was reportedly discovered at his house in Dorset, southwest England, on Thursday and was later declared dead.
The Dorset Police verified that there were no suspicious circumstances, despite the fact that the cause of death is yet unknown.
S Club 7 members posted a statement on social media expressing their “true devastation” at their brother Paul’s loss. 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,” the band said.
Formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller, the music mogul behind the Spice Girls, S Club 7 was launched like The Monkees through a TV show about a pop band, in which the members played fictionalized versions of themselves.
S Club 7 had a string of upbeat U.K. hits including “Don’t Stop Movin’,” bubblegum pop classic “Reach” and ballad “Never Had a Dream Come True,” which was also a top 10 hit in the United States.
In 2002, the group performed at a Buckingham Palace concert to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 50 years on the throne.
Cattermole left the band the same year. In February, all the original members of S Club 7 announced a 25th-anniversary tour, due to begin in October.
