Rachel Stevens penned a heartfelt tribute to her former S Club 7 bandmate Paul Cattermole on Tuesday following his tragic death on 6 April.
Taking to Instagram, the 45-year-old star posted a throwback black and white snapshot of the singer in his heyday. In her caption, Rachel wrote an emotional message which read: "Thank you so much for all your beautiful messages of love and support [heartbroken emoji] The outpouring of love for our Paul has been so incredibly special and has meant so much.
"I hope he knew how loved he was [heart emoji] Such a kind, gentle and sensitive soul with the most incredible energy and such a wild free spirit. He would light up any room."
She finished by adding: "We are heartbroken but so grateful for the memories we all shared [praying hands emoji]. An absolute shining star who we will love and miss always. RIP darling Paul."
Fans and friends flocked to the comments section to share messages of condolence, with one writing: "Sending love and thinking of all of you," while a second noted: "Beautiful words for a beautiful soul."
A third heartbroken fan commented: "He will forever be missed," and a fourth added: "We're so deeply sorry for your immense loss Rachel."
© GettyPaul was found dead in his home aged 46. His tragic passing came just weeks after the band announced their comeback tour. Paul had been set to join his fellow bandmates on the group's upcoming 25th anniversary reunion tour.
The singer's shock death also left S Club's Jo O’Meara devastated. The 43-year-old songstress shared a moving tribute on Instagram which read: "I just wanted to reach out and thank everybody from the bottom of my heart for the love and kindness you have shown over the tragic passing of our sweetest soul Paul.
© Getty"This has been utterly devastating, and I am totally shocked and heartbroken we have lost someone so incredibly special to us all, and there is a huge sense of sadness that will never go."
She concluded her tribute by adding: "Paul will forever be a huge part of our lives, and I will forever treasure the memories we made! I will love you always Paul, God bless you my darling, Rest in forever Peace. Love JoJo."
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