Paul Cattermole of UK pop group S Club 7 dies at 46

Monitoring Desk

LONDON: Paul Cattermole, a member of early-2000s British pop group S Club 7, has died just weeks after the band announced a reunion tour. He was 46.

The band and Cattermole’s family said Friday that “it is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved son and brother Paul Cattermole.”

They said Cattermole was found at his home in Dorset, southwest England, on Thursday and pronounced dead later that afternoon.

“While the cause of death is currently unknown, Dorset Police has confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances,” they said.

In a statement on social media, members of S Club 7 said they were “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 band said.

Formed in 1998 by Simon Fuller, the music mogul behind the Spice Girls, S Club 7 was launched – like The Monkees – through a TV show about a pop band, in which the members played fictionalized versions of themselves.

S Club 7 had a string of upbeat U.K. hits including “Don’t Stop Movin’,” bubblegum pop classic “Reach” and ballad “Never Had a Dream Come True,” which was also a top 10 hit in the United States.

In 2002, the group performed at a Buckingham Palace concert to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 50 years on the throne.

Cattermole left the band the same year. In February, all the original members of S Club 7 announced a 25th-anniversary tour, due to begin in October.