The 62-year-old, who was a contestant of U.K.'s 'Celebrity Big Brother', looked quite well in the weeks leading to his death.
- April 13, 2016
AceShowbiz -
David Gest was found dead on Tuesday, April 12 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Wharf. The concert promoter, reality show star and former husband of Liza Minnelli was 62. No cause of death is known at the moment.
The Metropolitan Police of London said in a statement that they answered to a call to the London hotel, where the first responders pronounced Gest dead. "Police were called at 10:17 on Tuesday 12 April to the Four Seasons hotel, in Westferry Circus to reports of an unexplained death of a man in his 60s," the police said. "London Ambulance Service were called to the scene. Life was pronounced extinct at the hotel. A post-mortem will be held in due course. Next of kin are in the process of being informed."
While the authorities declined to name the deceased, Gest's bodyguard and friend Imad Handi confirmed Gest's death. "It is with great sadness that I can confirm that David Gest has died today," Handi said. "David was truly larger than life. He was not just a huge talent and a dear friend but a showbiz icon. I know he will be missed by millions of fans around the world, and particularly in Britain, who came to love his charm and blistering one-liners. If I may steal the words of one eminent critic, David was a natural star and a genuine celebrity. I will miss him desperately."
Words are, Gest looked quite well before his death. A staff of the Royal China restaurant around the corner from the Four Seasons told Liverpool Echo that Gest was a regular at the eatery during his stay at the hotel, and never did he suspect he was ill. "I last saw him three weeks ago - he looked quite well, he looked quite fit. He wasn't drunk or anything," the restaurant's manager Peter Ng said.
However, Gest's health problems were not a secret. He left British reality show "Celebrity Big Brother" after 13 days due to unspecified health issue. In 2007, he was admitted to hospital with chest pains and respiratory problems. Gest had planned to tour the U.K. in July with his latest show, dubbed "David Gest Is Not Dead But Alive With Soul Tour!"
