Rachel Stevens has issued a personal statement following the tragic death of her S Club 7 bandmate Paul Cattermole.
Cattermole, 46, was found unresponsive on Thursday afternoon at his home in Dorset, England and he was pronounced dead later that day. As yet, no cause of death has been given.
Expressing gratitude for the overwhelming support from fans on Tuesday, Stevens posted a black-and-white photo of her late friend from the pop group's heyday and thanked everyone for their "beautiful messages".
"The out pouring of love for our Paul has been so incredibly special and has meant so much,I hope he knew how loved he was (sic)," the 45-year-old songstress shared.
She continued, "Such a kind, gentle and sensitive soul with the most incredible energy and such a wild free spirit. He would light up any room. We are heartbroken but so grateful for the memories we all shared, an absolute shining star who we will love and miss always."
She ended the post by writing, "RIP darling Paul".
The singer's post came hours after their bandmate Tina Barrett paid tribute to Cattermole on Instagram. She uploaded a photo of the group performing on stage and shared a poem she wrote in his honour.
"Paul Cattermole. A shining star. Full of character and life. His flame burnt so bright," her poem reads. "A rebel without a cause. A free spirit. A true force. While strumming the guitar, he reached for the stars. Farewell sweet Paul, your star shines so bright, forever in our hearts. Sleep well and goodnight."
S Club 7 was formed in 1998 and rose to fame with the TV sitcom Miami 7 in 1999. They released four albums and had four U.K. number-one singles. Cattermole left in 2002 and the group disbanded the following year.
In February, the Reach singers announced they were going on a 25th-anniversary reunion tour of the U.K. and Ireland in October.
