S Club 7 stars are beginning to break their silence as they come to terms with the shock death of fellow member Paul Cattermole.
The singer died, aged 46, on Thursday – just weeks after the British pop group announced a comeback tour across UK and Ireland to mark their 25th anniversary.
Rachel Stevens is the most recent member to take to social media, paying tribute on Wednesday to the “kind, gentle and sensitive soul”.
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“The outpouring of love for our Paul has been so incredibly special and has meant so much,” Stevens wrote alongside a shot of Cattermole in his younger years.
“I hope he knew how loved he was.
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“Such a kind, gentle and sensitive soul with the most incredible energy and such a wild free spirit. He would light up any room.
“We are heartbroken but so grateful for the memories we all shared.”
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Tina Barrett also took to Instagram, writing a poem to express her emotions and thanking fans for rallying around the group.
“Thank you for all your well wishes and support in this tragic time,” she wrote alongside a group shot with Cattermole in the middle.
Jo O’Mera, just hours before Barrett and Stevens spoke out, became the first member of the band to share her thoughts with the world following their loss.
“This has been utterly devastating , and I am totally shocked and heartbroken,” the singer wrote alongside a former publicity shot.
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“We have lost someone so incredibly special to us all , and there is a huge sense of sadness that will never go.
“Paul will forever be a huge part of our lives , and I will forever treasure the memories we made.”
O’Mera was one of the original members of 1998 group with Cattermole, as well as Barrett, Stevens, Hannah Spearritt, Jon Lee and Bradley McIntosh.
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Spearritt, who dated Cattermole for five years during the height of their fame, has yet to make any comment on her ex-boyfriend’s death.
Five years after S Club 7 broke up in 2003, O’Mera and McIntosh performed alongside Cattermole as S Club 3 breifly.
A brief S Club 7 reunion took place in 2014 and the group broke up again in 2015.
In February the pop group revealed they would be heading heading back out on the road in October for the S Club 7 Reunited tour.
It’s understood the tour will still go ahead as planned, paying tribute to Cattermole’s life and music in addition to the group’s milestone anniversary, according to a report in The Sun
”He was so excited about getting on stage again and feeling really positive about the reunion so it feels like the right thing to do,” a source told the publication.
“Management thinks it would be a lovely tribute to Paul and a great way to keep his much-loved memory alive.”
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