S Club 7 member Paul Cattermole has died, aged 46, the ’90s pop group announced.
In a message posted to social media on Friday afternoon (12.37am Sunday AEST) the group, famous for hits including Don’t Stop Movin’ and Reach, asked for “privacy” amid the “deep sadness”.
“We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul,” the two-part tweet began.
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“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.
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“He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time.”
The singer was found dead in his Dorset home on Thursday, approximately 200kms southwest of London.
https://twitter.com/SClub7/status/1644348654507941889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The cause of death is unknown but Dorset police believe there was ”no suspicious circumstances” involved.
The news came as a shock to fans, just weeks after the group had announced a comeback tour.
In February the pop group revealed that in celebration of their 25th anniversary, they were heading back out on the road for the S Club 7 Reunited tour.
They had dates across the UK and Ireland in October this year.
Cattermole was one of the original members of the group but quit the pop act in 2002, shortly after it became public he was dating fellow member Hannah 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.
Cattermole created a nu-metal band named Skua with some old school friends after leaving S Club 7 but that folded, when they failed to get a record deal.
Around a similar time S Club 7 broke up – announcing the group’s split in April 2003.
In 2008, Cattermole played gigs in the UK alongside his former S Club 7 co-stars Jo O’Meara and Bradley McIntosh, as S Club 3.
A brief S Club 7 reunion took place in 2014 and the group broke up again in 2015.
Cattermole later revealed he used his money from that tour to pay off debts having declared bankruptcy.
In a 2018 TV appearance on Loose Women, he opened up about his financial struggles after he was found selling his Brit award (won with S Club 7) on eBay for approximately £60,000 ($112,000).
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