S Club 7’s heartbreaking announcement after Paul Cattermole’s death

The remaining members of S Club 7 united to give some sad news to fans, weeks after member Paul Cattermole’s sudden death.

S Club members Jon and Jo.

Remaining members of the noughties pop band S Club 7 have united to give fans an emotional update about the status of the group, almost six weeks on from founding member Paul Cattermole’s sudden death.

Cattermole was found dead in his home on April 6 at the age of 46. His cause of death has not been revealed, but police did not treat it as suspicious.

Cattermole’s passing came as the members of S Club prepared for a planned UK reunion tour, their first as a seven-piece since 2015.

L-R: Tina, Jon, Jo, Rachel and Bradley.

Speaking to fans in an emotional two-and-a-half minute video posted to the group’s social media accounts, the remaining members of the band – minus Hannah Spearritt – gave an update on what was going on with the group since Paul’s passing.

“Sorry it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us,” but in all honesty we’ve been in a bit of shock,” member Jon Lee began.

“It’s just really sad … it’s really hard to process it right now,” said Tina Barrett.

“You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today. Although Hannah will always be a part of S Club 7, she won’t be joining us on this tour. We wish all her all the best for the future,” Lee announced.

S Club 7 announce their reunion tour in February. Top row, L-R: Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee and Bradley McIntosh. Bottom row: Rachel Stevens, Jo O’Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Tina Barrett. Picture: Dave J. Hogan/Getty

Spearritt was arguably the closest S Club member to Cattermole, with the pair embarking on a seven-year relationship in the early noughties that began when they were in the group together.

She gave a heartbreaking interview days after his death last month, revealing she “couldn’t stop crying” since she’d heard the news. She has yet to publicly comment on the news that she has dropped out of the tour.

But despite now being two members down, S Club’s planned ‘Reunited: Celebrating 25 Years’ tour, which is scheduled to start in October, will go ahead – with a new name.

Jon: ‘We’ve been in shock.’

A tearful Jo O’Meara.

“The five of us are really excited. It’s going to be our tribute to Paul, so we’re going to rename the tour the ‘Good Times tour’ – which was the song that Paul was going to sing. Sorry,” Lee continued, breaking down in tears as his fellow group members comforted him.

“It’s in tribute to Paul, because that was his song and all the fans know that was his song, so it feels right,” Barrett said.

“He’s always going to be with us. We’re just going to keep his memory alive and share it with all of you, and make it even more special,” Rachel Stevens said.

The video message was the first post on S Club’s social media accounts since April 8, when the group posted a photo of Cattermole with the following tribute: “We are 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 him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time.”

Originally published as S Club 7’s heartbreaking announcement after Paul Cattermole’s death