Kimberly Burch, the fianceé of American rockstar Taime Downe, has died after falling overboard on a cruise ship — and her grieving family ‘want answers’ regarding the tragic event.
Downe, who was born Gustave Molvik, is a 60-year-old musician best known as the lead singer of Faster Pussycat.
The glam metal band formed in 1985 and have released four studio albums over the last three decades, with their latest effort being 2006’s The Power and the Glory Hole.
The vocalist was onboard a Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas cruise ship with his bride-to-be Burch, 56, as he was taking part in a week-long 80s-themed trip.
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Faster Pussycat performed on the first night (2 March) of the seven-day adventure, according to The Mirror, with acts like Men at Work, Adam Ant and Tiffany due to make appearances.
At around 11pm, Burch fell from the cruise liner ‘around 20 miles’ from the shore of Freeport, Bahamas, the US Coast Guard told TMZ.
A search operation involving the ship’s crew and two nearby vessels was immediately launched, but the woman’s body was not found.
A guest onboard the 80s cruise told The Hollywood Reporter that passengers were informed ‘someone went overboard’ while ‘Cool for Cats’ singers Squeeze were on stage.
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"There was an announcement over the PA saying someone went overboard so the ship was going to stop and turn around to try and locate the person,” they told the publication.
The Mirror reports that Burch’s mother Carnell was informed by Downe of the heartbreaking news.
Carnell told TMZ that Burch ‘wouldn’t purposefully hurt herself’, a claim echoed by the woman’s sister-in-law Kellie.
"We just want to know what happened,” she told the Mirror. “We just want answers.”
Speaking to MailOnline, Kellie claimed her relative-by-marriage was ‘the life of the party and the light of the room’.
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"I last heard from her about a week ago [...] she was looking forward to the trip. We are doing as well as we possibly can be while we wait.”
A Facebook post posted on behalf of Burch’s family has said she will be ‘greatly missed by all that knew and loved her’, as per Billboard.
The message also asked for prayers as the family ‘try to wrap our minds around this heartbreaking tragedy’.
Regarding the events, a Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson said in a statement: "Our crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort, is working with local authorities and we are providing support and assistance to the guest's family during this difficult time.
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“To respect the privacy of our guest's family, we have no additional details to share.”
Topics: Celebrity, Cruise Ship, Royal Caribbean
Ella Scott