S Club 7 singer Paul Cattermole has died at age 46, two months after the ‘90s pop group announced their reunion tour.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved son and brother Paul Cattermole,” the U.K. native’s family said in a statement on Friday, April 7, per the BBC. “Paul was found yesterday, 6th April 2023 at his home in Dorset and was pronounced dead later that afternoon.”
The statement continued: “Dorset Police has confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances. Paul’s family, friends and fellow members of S Club request privacy at this time.” The cause of death is unknown.
S Club 7 — known for their late ‘90s and early ‘00s pop hits including “S Club Party,” “Never Had a Dream Come True” and more — paid tribute to Cattermole via Twitter on Friday.
“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. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have,” the group shared alongside a black-and-white photo of the “Bring It All Back” singer during his time in the band. “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.”
Cattermole’s unexpected passing comes just two months after S Club 7 — made up of Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Jo O’Meara, Hannah Spearritt, Bradley McIntosh and Cattermole — announced the news of their reunion tour.
“We are very excited to say that we are going back out on tour in October,” Stevens, 44, shared on BBC’s “The One Show” in February. “We’re just so excited to get back out there and sing our hearts out and perform. We’re celebrating 25 years, which is just crazy.”
McIntosh, 41, added: “Obviously, we’re bringing the nostalgia. Obviously we’re bringing the late ’90s, early (2000s), so it’s a lot of fun. It’s very positive, our music, very positive. And I think in today’s times you need a bit of positive, you need a bit of picking up so that’s what we’re here to do.”
Cattermole, for his part, had been candid about his ups and downs in S Club in recent years.
“We were closer than many pop groups – people that used to work with us said: ‘Wow, you guys actually speak, you actually stay in the same room,’” he recalled to The Guardian in 2019. “Most of them don’t.” Cattermole also claimed that he and Spearritt, 42, had been in a relationship following their onscreen romance. (S Club 7 starred as fictionalized versions of themselves on shows S Club 7 in Miami, S Club 7 in Hollywood and S Club 7 in Barcelona.)
Despite his close relationship with the fellow band members, the “Reach” singer left the group in 2002, five years after S Club 7 was formed by legendary music guru Simon Fuller.
“It had got to the point where things were being handled so badly, I had to go,” Cattermole explained.
Though the group had seen massive success in their heyday, several members of the band, including Cattermole, suffered from financial issues after the group disbanded. (Spearritt, who told The Sun in January that she was homeless after her family was evicted from their apartment, claimed that the band members weren’t paid fairly during their time in the group.)
In 2018, Cattermole sold his BRIT Award on eBay and revealed on British talk show Loose Women that he used the money he earned from S Club 7’s 2015 reunion to pay off tens of thousands in debt.
“People think we must all be millionaires but sadly it’s just not true,” Spearritt told The Sun earlier this year. “It was what it was and we enjoyed ourselves at the time.”
