Stuart Baggs: Apprentice star found dead at 27

Former Apprentice candidate Stuart Baggs has been found dead at the age of 27 in his home on the Isle of Man.

Baggs, who at 21 was the youngest-ever candidate on the BBC1 show when he took part in 2010, dubbed himself: 'Stuart Baggs the Brand'.

He was discovered by a friend yesterday at his property on Central Promenade in Douglas, reports the BBC. According to reports, his body was found in bed, the morning after he had been to a party. Local police say that they are not treating the death as suspicious, but the cause remains unknown.

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A colleague at Baggs' company, Blue Wave Communications, told The Guardian he had seen him at a local Tesco at 9pm on Wednesday. He said another colleague spoke to him on the phone at 11pm and on both occasions he seemed happy and well.

Baggs was a cult figure on The Apprentice, famed for his playfully boastful claims. "Everything I touch turns to sold," he said. He also told Lord Sugar: "I'm not a one-trick pony, I'm not a ten-trick pony, I've got a whole field of ponies, waiting to literally run towards this."

In response to news of the young businessman's death, Lord Sugar tweeted: "Terrible news Stuart Baggs has died. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. RIP one of the stand-out characters of the apprentice."

Baggs' sister Charlotte paid tribute to him on her Facebook page. "Today my dearest brother Stuart Baggs gained his wings. To say we are all shocked and devastated is an understatement," she wrote. "Can't explain how proud I am of him. He was the king of following his dreams and making them happen."

Baggs gave an interview to Business News last week on his birthday. The report said the entrepreneur appeared "excited" as he prepared to launch his company's latest product: BlueWave's landline-free Superfast 4G Home Broadband.

He had said: "Over the past few years we've achieved something truly magical. From humble beginnings, our company has grown to support more than 4,000 customers. I'm 27 today but as usual I will be putting in an 18-hour day."