Mourning the loss of his former Dream Street bandmate due to COVID-19 complications, the 'How Do You Sleep?' singer sends his deepest sympathies to the 34-year-old's mother.
- Jun 4, 2020
AceShowbiz - Jesse McCartney is sharing his heartbreak over the passing of an old friend. Shortly after it was announced that Chris Trousdale passed away from coronavirus complications, the former contestant of "The Masked Singer" paid tribute to his former Dream Street bandmate, and confessed he used to envy him as a performer.
"It pains me to say that an old friend, Chris Trousdale, from my early days in the music industry has passed away due to complications from COVID-19," the pop singer wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday, June 3. "Chris had an explosively charming personality with boundless amounts of talent. Together we made up two of the five members of a boyband called DreamStreet."
"We were young kids with budding talent who shared an overwhelming love for music and performing. Chris, in my opinion, was the most popular among us, who had a way of drawing every eye to what he was doing on stage," he recalled. "As an incredibly trained dancer, he would pick up an entire dance number in a matter of minutes; something that would take the rest of us days."
The 33-year-old went on to admit, "I truly envied him as a performer. We were a part of something people never get to experience in an entire lifetime at the tender ages of 12 and 14. Although we were a band for only 3 years, at that age, it felt like a lifetime and we built a real brotherhood. In later years, we would grow apart as our lives would take different turns, but I would often reflect on our early days together and think about how exciting it all was."
At the end of his post, McCartney reached out to Trousdale's mother to offer his support. "My deepest sympathies go out to his mother whom I know cherished him dearly," he wrote. "RIP Chris. I'll never forget your smile. #DreamStreet #ChrisTrousdale."
Trousdale died at a hospital in Burbank, California on Tuesday, June 2. When confirming his death, his representative stated that he passed away "from an undisclosed illness." In a statement to the press, his rep said, "He was a light to so many and will be missed dearly by his family, friends and fans all over the world."
"Although it felt like he belonged to us all, the family is requesting that you respect their privacy at this time of grieving," Trousdale's representative added. "Should you wish to make a donation in his honor, please give to ASPCA."
Trousdale's passing came after McCartney shared his thought on future Dream Street reunion. When asked of the possibility in an interview with Us Weekly back in May, the "Summerland" star declared, "Dream Street was so important for me for the building blocks in my life about recording music, singing and dancing, collaborating and working well with others, so yeah. I'll never say never, crazier things have happened!"
McCartney and Trousdale became part of Dream Street along with Greg Raposo, Matt Ballinger and Frankie Galasso in 2000. They split in 2002.
