The world reacts to the sudden passing of Pete Burns

The world was shocked last night after it emerged that Dead or Alive front-man Pete Burns had passed away, aged 57.

Burns rose to fame as the front-man of 1980s band Dead or Alive. As well as his music, he was famed for his unique style and looks, which underwent numerous transformations throughout his life. His refusal to adhere to gender norms made him something of an icon within the LGBT+ community. In a 2007 article for the Guardian, he detailed his ambivalence towards gender roles, writing: “I have never had a reason to separate gender. I’ve had two very powerful people in my life, my ex-wife Lynn, and my husband Michael, and that’s it.”

“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. I was brought up with an incredible amount of freedom and creativity. Society has put certain constraints on things.

After his death, it emerged that he donated his £50,000 Celebrity Big Brother fee to Mermaids, a charity that supports young people struggling with gender issues.

https://twitter.com/mimmymum/status/790631612874625024

A note posted to his Twitter page yesterday (October 24) by his management broke the news that he had died of a “massive cardiac arrest” on Sunday October 23.

https://twitter.com/PeteBurnsICON/status/790602340751540224

Shortly after the news broke, stars from across the world took to Twitter to express their sadness at the queer icon’s death. Boy George described him as a “one of our great true eccentrics,” while actress Laverne Cox posted Dead or Alive’s biggest hit, You Spin Me Round, in remembrance. Politician George Galloway, who he appeared with in Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, described him as “a cross between Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker.”

Tearful about the passing of @PeteBurnsICON he was one of our great true eccentrics and such a big part of my life! Wow. Hard to believe!

— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) October 24, 2016

RIP #PeteBurns. Let's jam to this 80's classic in remembrancehttps://t.co/I9QSAWJ5N6

— Laverne Cox (@Lavernecox) October 25, 2016

Rest in Peace @PeteBurnsICON we had some laughs and some tears over the years .you were a sensitive soul and will be missed x

— Sinitta 16 (@sinittaofficial) October 24, 2016

https://twitter.com/ChrisCrocker/status/790622047332425728

https://twitter.com/michellevisage/status/790608085140148224

Heartbroken to hear about Pete Burns. He was a true punk rocker and one of the kindest hearts I've ever know. Gutted. 💕

— Preston (@samuelpreston) October 24, 2016

Sad to hear of the demise of Pete Burns. He was a cross between Oscar Wilde and Dorothy Parker. You don't get more brilliant than that. RIP

— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) October 24, 2016

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