American entertainer David Gest has been found dead in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old.
Police say his death is “unexplained”.
His death was confirmed by a statement from his friend, Imad Handi.
Handi said: “It is with great sadness that I can confirm that David Gest has died today.
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.”
Gest was a former husband of Liza Minnelli, but was best known this side of the Atlantic for being a participant of Celebrity Big Brother, a show where ironically he was mistakenly taken for dead in a miscommunication by David Bowie’s ex-wife Angie.