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David Gest looked "frail and pale" days before death

Updated / Wednesday, 13 Apr 2016 13:11
David Gest starred in the most recent series of Celebrity Big Brother
David Gest starred in the most recent series of Celebrity Big Brother

David Gest appeared "frail" when he was spotted in public days before his death, according to reports

The reality TV star, music producer, and former husband of actress and singer Liza Minnelli, died suddenly yesterday in a London hotel aged 62.

Scotland Yard said police were called to the Four Seasons hotel in East London earlier on Tuesday following reports "of an unexplained death of a man in his 60s". 

"London Ambulance Service were called to the scene. Life was pronounced extinct at the hotel," continued the statement. 

"A post-mortem will be held in due course. Next of kin are in the process of being informed."

The singer had been reported to have suffered from ill health in recent months and had to leave Celebrity Big Brother on health grounds.

One onlooker,  Matt Hare, who spotted the Gest recently on the London Underground was quoted as saying that, "David looked frail and quite pale and was kind of just staring up at the Tube map."

Fellow Celebrity Big Brother contestant Darren Day, Myleene Klass and former Coronation Street actress Denise Welch are among a wealth of celebrities who have paid tribute to Gest after his sudden death.

Welch said that she was “shocked” at news of his passing, adding that the news hadn’t “quite sunk in”.

Musician and presenter Myleene Klass and EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney, who both appeared alongside David on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2006, also paid their respects. 

Gest became a household name following his show-stealing appearance on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2006. A close friend of the late Michael Jackson, he produced the documentaries Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration in 2001 and Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon in 2011.

He was a contestant on the most recent series of Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother but left the show early on health grounds.

He had been due to tour the UK in July in a musical show called David Gest Is Not Dead, But Alive with Soul. The title was inspired by an incident in the Celebrity Big Brother house when American reality star Tiffany Pollard mistakenly believed that it was Gest who had died rather than David Bowie.


David Gest appeared on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year

He married Liza Minnelli in March 2002 with Michael Jackson as best man and Elizabeth Taylor as maid of honour. Gest later sued Minnelli, claiming the stage and screen star had assaulted him. Minnelli also took legal action, claiming Gest had stolen at least $2m she earned while performing in shows he produced. 

Their battle ended in 2007 when their lawyers said they had settled their differences and had agreed to a no-fault divorce.


David Gest and Liza Minnelli in 2002

Paying tribute, Gest's friend Imad Handi said in a statement: "David was truly larger than life. He was not just a huge talent and a dear friend but a showbiz icon.

"I know he will be missed by millions of fans around the world, and particularly in Britain, who came to love his charm and blistering one-liners."

"If I may steal the words of one eminent critic, David was a natural star and a genuine celebrity. I will miss him desperately," he concluded.

A wealth of stars and celebrities pay their respects to David Gest:

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