SHAH ALAM - S Club 7’s Paul Cattermole has died at the age of 46, weeks after the band announced a comeback tour.
His family announced his passing in a statement today, stating that he was found yesterday (April 6) at his home in Dorset in the South West England and was pronounced dead later that afternoon.
The cause of death is unknown, the statement added, and that there are "no suspicious circumstances” around his death.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved son and brother Paul Cattermole,” it said.
On social media, his bandmates said they were "truly devastated” and had "now words to describe the deep sadness and loss” they felt.
"We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and thankful for the amazing memories we have.
"He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us,” the S Club 7 Twitter posted.
A bandmate Hannah Spearritt, who had been romantically linked to Cattermole in the past, was reported to have "broke down” when given the news.
Cattermole was one of the seven members of S Club 7 but quit the band in 2002 and formed a nu metal group called Skua with old school friends. However, they split in 2003 after failing to sign a record deal.
Five years after S Club broke up, Cattermole started performing at clubs, universities and holiday camps across the UK with two other members Jo O’Meara and Bradley McIntosh as S Club 3.
Cattermole was publicly known to have financial issues post-band life and declared bankrupt soon after.
In 2018, he was desperate and tried to sell his Brit Awards on eBay as well as join reality shows but was turned down because he was not "famous enough”.