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Dead or Alive frontman Pete Burns - in pictures
Celebrity Big Brother star and You Spin Me Round singer suffered cardiac arrest at home
Dead or Alive singer Pete Burns died at his home on Sunday at the age of 57 after suffering a cardiac arrest, his management team has announced.
"All of his family and friends are devastated by the loss of our special star," they said. "He was a true visionary, a beautiful talented soul, and he will be missed by all who loved and appreciated everything he was and all of the wonderful memories he has left us with."
Burns formed the band Dead or Alive in 1980 with friends from Liverpool, Mike Percy, Steve Coy and Tim Lever.
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The group achieved widespread fame with their hit single You Spin Me Round (Like a Record). The single reached No 1 on the UK charts and peaked at No 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2006, the song returned to the British charts – at No 5 – following Burns's "infamous" appearance on Celebrity Big Brother, reports Rolling Stone.
Burns was well known for his androgynous style of dressing and his progressive approach to gender. He often wore women’s clothes and once told journalists: "The trouble is that people are all too ready to jump to conclusions about anybody who they think looks a bit strange. They think you must be mentally subnormal.
"Over the years I've had to learn how to deal with people who refuse to take me seriously. That's where I learnt the blunt side of my character."
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Burns admitted to having an addiction to cosmetic surgery, having over 300 operations in his lifetime, mainly on his face, and in 2006 almost died on the operating table during nose surgery, reports The Guardian.
The singer said that "changing my face is like buying a new sofa" and that there was "not a part of me, apart from the soles of my feet, which has not had work done". He added: "For me, plastic surgery is a matter of sanity, not vanity."
Following the announcement of his passing, tributes poured in from across the entertainment industry.
Politician George Galloway, who was on Celebrity Big Brother with Burns, tweeted: "Sad to hear of the demise of Pete Burns. He was a cross between Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker. You don't get more brilliant than that. RIP."
Boy George, who Burns once accused of ripping off his style, paid tribute to the singer, writing: "Tearful about the passing of Pete Burns, he was one of our great true eccentrics and such a big part of my life! Wow. Hard to believe!"
