British pop band S Club 7 have undergone a rebrand as S Club for their upcoming tour, after losing two members.
Paul Cattermole, an original member from when the band formed in 1998, was found at his home in Dorset on 6 April – he was pronounced dead later that afternoon aged 46. Police confirmed there were no suspicious circumstance surrounding the death, the cause of which has not been disclosed.
This week, it was announced that Hannah Spearritt, 42, was pulling out of the group’s 25th anniversary tour.
This leaves the band as a five-piece, consisting of Jo O’Meara, 44, Jon Lee, 41, Rachel Stevens, 45, Tina Barrett, 46, and Bradley McIntosh, 41.
The number seven has been removed from the group’s social media and website.
In an emotional video posted on the group’s Instagram, Lee said: “We have been in a bit of shock, and it has taken a while for us to find the right words to describe how we feel about losing our brother Paul.”
Stevens added: “Just taking the time to process and get our heads around it all, and also taking time to share time together so that we could remember Paul and all the memories we had together.”
Barrett said: “It is just really sad, it is really, really hard to process it right now.”
McIntosh, meanwhile, told fans that the band members are “all still in so much disbelief”.
He said that Cattermole was a “big brother to us, all of us and you guys out there”, adding: “He truly was a unique specimen of human being.
“No one could replace our Paul, he lives on inside in each and every one of us.”
O’Meara said: “Whenever Paul would walk into the room, you definitely knew that he was there because he would just light it up with humour and love – just a really special person.”
Barrett broke down into tears as he explained that the tour has been renamed the Good Times tour in memory of Cattermole.
He said: “That was his song and all the fans knew it was his song, so it just feels right.”
Of Spearritt – who was in a relationship with Cattermole in the 2000s and briefly in 2015 – he said: “You’ve probably noticed that there’s only five of us here today, and although Hannah will always be part of S Club 7 she won’t be joining us on this tour.
“We wish her all the best for the future.”
The current five band members are still planning to reunite in October for a 25th anniversary tour of the UK and Ireland.
In 1999, S Club 7 reached No 1 with their debut single “Bring It All Back”. Other hits in later years included “S Club Party” and “Don’t Stop Movin’”.
When S Club 7 disbanded in 2003, the group had recorded four studio albums and sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
