David Gest dead: Star was about to embark on ‘David Gest is not dead’ tour

The tour's full title was 'David Gest Is Not Dead but Alive With Soul'

(PA)

TV personality and producer David Gest died just months before embarking on a tour titled David Gest Is Not Dead but Alive With Soul.

Set to start in July, the tour would see Gest host numerous stars including British singer Dina Carroll, Russell Thompkins Jr, Deniece Williams, Billy Paul, Peabo Bryson, The Tymes, Freda Payne, Melba Moore, Anita Ward and Fern Kinney.

A poster for the tour features Gest emerging from a coffin with “Born 11.5.1953. Died in the CBB House 11.1.2016” written on it. He had appeared on Celebrity Big Brother earlier in the year, leaving the competition early due to concerns over his health.

The entertainer was found dead in the Four Seasons Hotel in Canary Warf, London. Friend and bodyguard Imad Handi confirmed the news in a statement, saying: “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.”

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Southern California, he was close friends with Michael Jackson as a child and had a relationship with Latoya Jackson as a teenager. Gest produced a documentary about Jackson starring himself, The Life of an Icon, after his friend's death in 2011.