Photo: Wenn
Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns died yesterday (23 October) aged 57 due to a "massive cardiac arrest," his management have revealed today.
Burns, who was born in The Wirral on 5 August 1959, rose to fame as singer of the 80s new wave band Dead or Alive. He had a worldwide smash hit with 'You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)' in 1985. It's still one of the catchiest songs ever written.
The management statement said: "All of his family and friends are devastated by the loss of our special star."
It continued: "He was a true visionary, a beautiful talented soul, and he will be missed by all who loved and appreciated everything he was and all of the wonderful memories the has left us with."
Hi guys, it's Kyle here. Was asked to send out this tweet on behalf of Steve, Lynn & Michael. #rippeteburns #sadtimes #icon SO SAD!!! pic.twitter.com/rOkAVHsZQg
— Pete Burns (@PeteBurnsICON) October 24, 2016
Tributes below from those in the music and TV industry who knew him show what a beautiful impression Burns made wherever he went.
So sad to hear of the death of Dead Or Alive's Pete Burns. One of the last great 80s freaks to make it big before pop got boring again. RIP.
— Simon Price (@simon_price01) October 24, 2016
So so sad to hear about Pete Burns ... we partied hard in the 90s ... RIP Pete x
— Davina McCall (@ThisisDavina) October 24, 2016
Tearful about the passing of @PeteBurnsICON he was one of our great true eccentrics and such a big part of my life! Wow. Hard to believe!
— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) October 24, 2016
At the start of the 80s, it was Burns' eccentric and androgynous appearance that began attracting attention, often leading to comparisons with Boy George. Although success for the band waned in the UK after the mid-80s hit, they remianed popular in Japan right into the 90s.
His solo career didn't flourish in the way that Dead or Alive did and in the '00s he became better known as a TV personality, appearing on Big Brother in 2006, reaching the final and coming fifth.
Burns is also famed for having to have dealt with botched surgery in his life and admitted to having have had 300 operations to try and fix it.
The singer was last on our screens when he appeared on Celebrity Botched Up Bodies last month.
Burns was also due to appear on Loose Women today, which emphasises how well he was right until the end of his life and what a shock the news is to everyone. RIP.
