‘S Club 7 were the first band I ever saw and I was obsessed with them’: Devastated fans pay tribute to Paul Cattermole and share their memories of the band after his death aged …

S Club 7 fans were united in grief this afternoon after learning of the tragic death of bandmember Paul Cattermole aged just 46.

Paul was found dead at his home in Dorset on Thursday with police saying there were no suspicious circumstances. 

As the band announced his passing this afternoon in a tribute, fans left their own memories of the popular star.

Jaylan Salah wrote: ‘RIP Paul Cattermole. I was obsessed with S Club 7 when I was little, had a major crush on Hannah and Bradley, and even watched their TV series Miami 7 with my sister and Grandpa on the Gramps old TV set.

‘Their songs always uplifted my spirit and made me feel like dancing. Sad news.’

Elizabeth Bond said on Twitter that the musician made her remember happy times in her life.

Paul Cattermole of the band S Club 7 performing on stage at the BRMB Party in the Park at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham

Fans went online to talk about their memories of Paul and how the band had shaped their lives

She said: ‘Truly shocked and sorry to hear this. I saw S Club 7 back in 2002 with a friend of mine.

‘We were both about ten years older than the average age of the audience, but I still feel nostalgic for that innocent and fun time. RIP Paul and condolences to your loved ones.’

JenWren said: ‘This is so bloody sad. My friend and I saw S Club a few years back in the Echo arena, relived our youth. Rest in peace Paul.’

Ellie Walker added: ‘This is so sad. RIP Paul. He was a big part of my childhood. My thoughts are with you all and his loved ones.’ 

Seán Ferrick wrote on Twitter about his love for S Club 7 during his youth.

He wrote: ‘This is such sad news. I loved S Club 7 back in the day, had all the singles and albums, watched the TV show. The lot.’

A Happy Speedbird Fan replied to Seán’s tweet and wrote: ‘News has actually got me in tears – I was a massive S Club 7 fan back in the day and can still sing pretty much the entire catalogue from memory.

‘He was so looking forward to the reunion concert as well.’

Devastated fan Romanaa wrote: ‘S club 7 was my whole childhood and Paul made me laugh so much in their LA7 and Miami7 series. 

‘I’m gutted to hear this. He was too young. Rest in peace Paul’.

Annie also said: ‘I grew up listening to S Club 7 they were my first concert (technically steps was but my sister got upset and we had to leave halfway through) so this was the first full experience. RIP Paul.’

Samuel Ch. Zernig shared photos of himself with Paul and the rest of S Club 7 along with the heartfelt message: ‘So sad to hear about Paul Cattermole. Only saw him again a few weeks ago. Always incredibly kind’.

Photographer Nicola Stead was devastated to hear of Paul’s passing as she shared fond memories spent with the band.

She tweeted: ‘I photographed them a good few years ago and Paul and I had such a great chat & even did some of the ‘Reach’ dance moves together. He was just amazing.’

Kevin Law posted a picture of himself and the band with the caption: ‘RIP Paul Cattermole gone but never forgotten’.

Michael shared treasured photos from S Club ‘s 2015 tour, claiming that Paul was always his favoruite. 

Michael shared treasured photos from S Club ‘s 2015 tour, claiming that Paul was always his favoruite

The news is said to have come as a ‘shock’ to his fellow bandmembers, including his ex-girlfriend Hannah Spearritt who has been left ‘inconsolable’. 

A statement released by his family read: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved son and brother Paul Cattermole.

‘Paul was found yesterday, 6th April 2023 at his home in Dorset and was pronounced dead later that afternoon.’ 

It continued: ‘While the cause of death is currently unknown, Dorset Police has confirmed that there were no suspicious circumstances.

‘Paul’s family, friends and fellow members of S Club request privacy at this time.’

The band paid tribute to Paul on Twitter, writing: ‘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 had 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.’ 

Tragic news: While his cause of death has not been revealed, the band’s manager reportedly said that there were ‘no suspicious circumstances’

A source close to Paul’s ex-girlfriend and bandmate Hannah Spearritt told MailOnline: ‘She is absolutely devastated.

‘Hannah is inconsolable. This came as a massive shock, and she is struggling to believe he is no longer with us.

‘Just as they rekindled their friendship, the worst happened. The band are all in pieces.

‘They were all looking forward to the reunion tour and reliving their amazing memories together. Paul has and always will be a huge part of Hannah’s journey. Right now, she is just beside herself.’

The tragic news comes shortly after the pair rekindled their friendship and called an end to their seven-year feud.

Hannah and Paul’s friendship predates the creation of the noughties group after they became friends in their teens at the National Youth Music Theatre.

They first kept their romance private with Paul later revealing he would sneak to and from Hannah’s house in the early hours of the morning to avoid being spotted by fans.

The news of Paul’s shock death comes just weeks after S Club 7 announced they will reunite for an 11-date tour of the UK and Ireland, performing classics such as Reach, Bring It All Back, and Never Had A Dream Come true.

Reunited: (L-R) Rachel Stevens, Paul, Jo O’Meara, Jon Lee, Hannah Spearritt, Bradley McIntosh and Tina Barrett were gearing up to reform for a 25th anniversary tour later this year 

Heyday: The group were one of the biggest bands of the Noughties and had a string of hits 

Fans of the group will not only remember S Club for their music after the band including Rachel Stevens, 44, Tina Barrett, 46, Jon Lee, 40, Bradley McIntosh, 41, and Jo O’Meara, 43, also starred in their very own BBC series Miami 7 and LA 7.

All seven of the group agreed to the comeback, been masterminded by music mogul Simon Fuller – the man who put them together in 1998 after the Spice Girls, his previous band, sacked him as their manager. 

He called each of the seven stars in person to suggest the project and made it clear it would only work if all of them were to agree. 

Speaking on coming back together, the band said: ‘After eight years it feels amazing to announce that we’re reuniting and performing together again.

‘We’re so excited to bring the S Club Party back to our fans across the country to celebrate 25 years of S Club 7. We can’t even believe it’s been so long!

‘Music and friendship have always been at the core of everything that we’ve ever done. We hope everyone can join us for one big party!’

S Club 7 recorded four studio albums, released 11 singles that all entered the Top 5 UK charts, and went on to sell over 10 million albums worldwide. 

In 2002, Paul sent shockwaves through S Club 7’s global fanbase when he spectacularly announced he was quitting the group citing ‘creative differences’.

The band announced their split the following year.  

Paul had a rocky road after leaving the band, becoming bankrupt in 2015 and even putting his Brit Award up for sale on eBay saying: ‘There’s bills to pay’. 

He admitted to trying to sign up to reality shows like I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and Dancing On Ice but was told he wasn’t ‘famous enough’. 

During an appearance on Loose Women in 2018 he admitted he had run out of money and had to borrow a shirt for the show. 

The following year he made an emotional appearance on the dating show First Dates Hotel.

The star went on a date with music lover Anna but after being let down gently, sobbed on camera and asked for a ‘moment’ to pull himself together. 

Bandmate Tina said at the time: ‘I’m always here for Paul. It is hard when you see someone you’ve worked with look like they’re struggling.’

RIP: S Club 7 star Paul Cattermole has died at the age of 46. The circumstances surrounding his death are not said to be suspicious (pictured on Wednesday)

After their split in 2003 the band all went in different directions.

Rachel went onto have a solo music career and came runner up on Strictly Come Dancing in 2008. 

Hannah, who’s a mum to daughters Tora and Taya, enjoyed an acting career, performing on the likes of BBC One soap EastEnders and Brit drama Primeval.

In 2021, Paul launched a new YouTube channel called Tarot Me This, where he called upon fans to make a donation in exchange for a reading, explaining ‘clairvoyance’ was his new line of work.

He later revealed he hid his psychic abilities from the rest of S Club 7 because he feared it would make him sound ‘crazy’.

The pop star swapped his mic for tarot cards after reinventing himself as a ‘spiritual psychic detective’, earning money by charging £39.99 for reading on a spiritual website.

Paul explained how he enters rooms and reads the ‘energy within them’, adding that the older he’s got, the better he’s able to ‘process’ what’s going on. 

After leaving his pop career behind, Paulk spend a decade honing his skills to build the career he had today, but told how his abilities first surfaces in his teens, before growing more ‘intense’ in his 20s.

But at the height of his fame during his time in S Club, Paul admitted he couldn’t tell the truth about his abilities for fear of sounding mad.

He said: ‘I didn’t know what it was but I was getting premonitions of certain things. I would see photos of people in newspapers and certain things about them would jump out of the image. Then in my 20s it got more intense, but I could never tell anyone, even my bandmates, because it would sound like I’m crazy.’