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Bisexual Pop Star Pete Burns Dead at 57

Burns

The Dead or Alive singer was felled by "massive cardiac arrest."

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British musician and reality show regular Pete Burns died Sunday after suffering a devastating heart attack.

"It is with the greatest sadness that we have to break the tragic news that our beloved Pete Burns of (Dead Or Alive) died suddenly yesterday of a massive cardiac arrest," read a statement on Burns's website. "All of his family and friends are devastated by the loss of our special star."

Burns found fame as the vocalist and songwriter for the band Dead or Alive, which had a massive hit in 1985 with "You Spin Me Round." After Burns's music career faded in the 1990s, he became a staple of British reality TV, appearing on shows like Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Wife Swap. Burns also captured attention for his feminine appearance, which was augmented by numerous plastic surgeries. On his look, Burns said the following: "Everyone's in drag of some sorts, I don't give a fuck about gender and drag. I'm not trying to be a girl by putting on a dress -- gender is separated by fabric."

Burns was married to Lynne Corlett for nearly three decades, then entered into a civil partnership with a man, Michael Simpson, in 2007 (civil partnerships were the predecessor of legal same-sex marriage in the U.K. Burns and Simpson split up at one point, and the singer said men were too "predatory" for long-term relationships. But they reunited, and Simpson is listed as Burns's surviving partner.

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Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.
Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.