Pop group S Club 7 is reportedly still planning on embarking on its upcoming reunion tour despite the sudden death of band member Paul Cattermole.
Cattermole died at age 46 on Thursday just weeks after the band announced it would be touring the UK and Ireland in October 2023 – their first live shows since 2015.
According to a report in The Sun, the 11 concerts were designed to celebrate the band’s 25th anniversary. Now, however, it will pay tribute to Cattermole’s life and musical career.
“The members are still reeling from the shock of Paul’s tragic death, but they all feel that continuing with the tour is what Paul would have wanted,” a source told the UK publication.
“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.
“Management thinks it would be a lovely tribute to Paul and a great way to keep his much-loved memory alive.”
S Club 7 were due to kickstart their tour of the UK and Ireland in October this year, after announcing their reunion plans in February.
It is believed the remaining band members, which includes Hannah Spearritt, 42, Rachael Stevens, 44, Jo O’Meara, 43, Tina Barrett, 46, Jon Lee, 40, and Bradley McIntosh, 41, will have meetings to discuss the upcoming concerts.
The pop group announced Cattermole’s shock death at age 46 late last week.
“We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul. There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel,” they said in a statement.
“We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have.”
The singer was found dead in his Dorset home on Thursday, approximately 200km southwest of London.
The cause of death is unknown but Dorset police believe there was ”no suspicious circumstances” involved.
Cattermole was one of the original members of the 1998 group alongside Barrett, Lee, McIntosh, O’Meara, Spearritt and Stevens.
However, he quit the pop act in 2002, shortly after it became public he was dating fellow member Spearritt. The couple later split in 2006 before briefly reuniting in 2015.
“It had got to the point where things were being handled so badly, I had to go,” Paul told The Guardian in a 2019 interview.
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