Paul Cattermole dead at 46: The life and career of the S Club 7 star

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A look at the life and career of Paul Cattermole - the S Club 7 star found dead at 46

Paul Cattermole has died aged 46 after he was found at his home in Dorset on Thursday (April 6), his family announced in a statement. The death of the S Club 7 star has seen tributes pouring in from the music and entertainment industry, including Vernon Kay, Rylan Clark, and his bandmates.

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As part of pop group S Club 7, Cattermole achieved four number one singles and one number one album in just a few years between 1999 until his departure in 2002. The group have sold more than 14 million albums worldwide and recently announced a 25th anniversary reunion tour.

He was born in St Albans in Hertfordshire on March 7, 1977, and was a member of the National Youth Music Theatre, where he appeared in Pendragon. He studied theatre before starting his musical career.

After being discovered by manager Simon Fuller in the 1990s, Paul was teamed up with fellow musicians Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O’Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens to form S Club 7. The group would become mega stars not only on stage, but on TV with several shows such as Miami 7, Viva S Club and Hollywood 7, which focused on Cattermole’s relationship with girlfriend and bandmate Spearritt.

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Cattermole and Spearritt would split in 2006, before getting back together for a short stint in 2015. On the announcement of his death, it was reported the two made up just weeks earlier.

Cattermole would release three albums as a member of S Club 7, before leaving the group in 2002 to form the short lived nu-metal band Skua with his childhood friends. S Club would continue for another year and release one more album before eventually disbanding in 2003.

A few years later, Paul, together with O’Meara and McIntosh would form S Club 3 and play shows at nightclubs and universities around the UK. The entire group would eventually come back together for a BBC Children in Need performance in 2014 and a reunion tour in 2015.

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Since the 2015 tour, the singer has had several jobs including touring with The Rocky Horror Show, in which he played Eddie until sustaining a back injury which forced him to quit. He has also revealed he was working as a ‘psychic detective’ after realising he could read tarot cards.

Paul Cattermole’s death comes just weeks after S Club 7 announced reunion plans (Photo:  Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)Paul Cattermole’s death comes just weeks after S Club 7 announced reunion plans (Photo:  Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Paul Cattermole’s death comes just weeks after S Club 7 announced reunion plans (Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) | Getty Images

During his life and career, Cattermole has faced financial difficulties, being declared bankrupt in 2014. In 2018, he auctioned his BRIT Award on eBay, saying “there are bills to pay”, which closed at £66,000, but the buyer failed to pay.

Opening up about his life as a pop star on a 2018 appearance on Loose Women, he said: “It’s not very easy doing a pop group thing, there’s the inside and the perception on the outside. It’s one of those jobs you take the rough with the smooth, and the rough is rough, the smooth is very smooth.”

Paul Cattermole died on Thursday April 6. He was 46 years old.

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