S Club 7's Jo O'Meara "devastated" over death of bandmate Paul Cattermole
11 April 2023, 17:03 | Updated: 11 April 2023, 17:06
The 90s pop star paid tribute to her close friend on Instagram, calling him the "sweetest soul".
S Club 7's Jo O'Meara admitted she was "totally shocked and heartbroken" following the death of her former bandmate Paul Cattermole.
The pop queen broke her silence on Instagram to pay tribute to her close friend, who was found dead aged 46 at his home in Dorset last week.
Sharing a vintage picture of the singer, Jo penned a heartfelt message to fans thanking them for their support in the wake of the tragic news.
She called Paul the "sweetest soul" and admitted to feeling completely devastated as she tried to come to terms with her grief.
Jo wrote: "I just wanted to reach out and thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for the love and kindness you have shown over the tragic passing of our sweetest soul Paul 💔
"This has been utterly devastating, and I am totally shocked and heartbroken 💔
"We have lost someone so incredibly special to us all, and there is a huge sense of sadness that will never go 😢
"Paul will forever be a huge part of our lives, and I will forever treasure the memories we made!
"I will love you always Paul, God bless you my darling, Rest in forever Peace. Love JoJo 🙏🏻 💔."
Jo's wasn't the only band member to post a final farewell to singer Paul online.
Another of his bandmates, Tina Barrett, wrote a sweet poem dedicated to the late star.
Alongside a glitzy picture of the band performing together on stage, the singer-songwriter thanked fans for their well wishes and published her prose describing Paul as a "shining star", a "rebel without a cause", a "free spirit" and a "true force".
The cause of Paul's death has not yet been revealed but police have confirmed there were "no suspicious circumstances" surrounding his passing.
All seven members of the band were due to reunite this coming autumn as part of S Club 7's 25th anniversary tour.
The 11 upcoming shows were scheduled to kick off in Liverpool in October and would have seen the late singer perform alongside Hannah Spearritt, Rachel Stevens, Tina Barrett, Jo O'Meara, Bradley McIntosh and Jon Lee.
It is not yet known if the tour will still go ahead, although insiders have suggested the band will continue as planned and perform in Paul's honour.
Read more:
- S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole dies aged 46
- S Club 7’s Paul Cattermole shocks First Dates viewers with transformation as he breaks down over love life
- S Club 7 tickets 2023: Watch the reunion tour in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow
