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David Gest: The television personality's most controversial and memorable moments

Gest's body was discovered in a London hotel room

Olivia Blair,Maya Oppenheim
Tuesday 12 April 2016 16:45 BST
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David Gest dies at 62
David Gest dies at 62

David Gest has passed away at the age of 62.

His body was discovered at the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Wharf in London and his death is currently being treated as unexplained.

The producer, entertainer and former husband of Liza Minnelli has become a well-known television personality in the UK in recent years after appearing on reality shows I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and most recently Celebrity Big Brother.

Also known for his headline-hitting relationship with Minnelli, he became an increasingly popular face on British TV through his participation in various shows.

Marriage to Liza Minnelli

After becoming Minnelli's fourth husband in 2002, critics anticipated the collapse of their marriage before it had even begun. Their wedding received huge press coverage given the many bridesmaids dressed in black and the Jackson Five acting the groomsmen. Odd television appearances later followed and their planned reality TV show for VH1 was scrapped after the channel reportedly accused him of being "unprofessional, erratic and deceitful". An appearance on Ruby Wax Meets left viewers cringing after he bought his wife a £82,000 Cartier necklace. When due to celebrate the first anniversary of their marriage at an event in Times Square, they halted proceedings, blaming the looming war in Iraq.

Lawsuit against Minnelli

The couple officially divorced in 2007, although separated years earlier. Their divorce was delayed by legal proceedings which included Gest suing the Cabaret singer for $10million for alleged assault sparked by alcoholism. Minnelli denied the accusations and countersued, accusing Gest of stealing from her. His lawsuit was thrown out by a Supreme Court judge and the pair later reportedly settled.

Friendship with Michael Jackson

Growing up in Southern California, he counted Michael Jackson and his brothers as his childhood best friends. He even lived with the family for a period as a teenager. Recently, Guest recalled his last memory of having fun times with Jackson just before Jackson's 2005 trial.

“We went on a road trip to San Francisco and we got on a stretch of highway that had road works and it suddenly got really hairy; we were driving so close to the edge of this cliff I kept screaming because I thought we were going over,” he told The Daily Mail. “Michael was totally relaxed; he just kept laughing and laughing because I was going so crazy. He was totally fearless, he always was. That was so Michael. He was such a kid and a joker.”

Plastic Surgery

Earlier this year, Gest admitted to having work done on his eyes and a facelift in the 1980s. Appearing on Loose Women, he said he was inspired to do so because close friend Michael Jackson had apparently said: “You’ve got to make yourself always look better.” Gest said he later came to regret the decision, “I thought to myself, ‘Oh I’ll do this because Michael told me.’ What an idiot I was. I’m telling people, 'be who you are, you do not need to do plastic surgery', it’s the stupidest thing in the world.”

David Gest dead at 62

Serving fish & chips to customers in York

Despite being from Los Angeles, Yorkshire later captured his heart and he lived in York. Gest loved the delicacies of British cuisine so much so that he apparently got behind the counter and begun serving fish and chips to hungry customers, according to the York Press.

I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

Gest was an extremely popular contestant on the jungle-based reality show yet was voted off the night before the final.

The Sun later claimed more than 30,000 votes for Gest weren’t counted after apparent leaked emails claimed: “David Gest shouldn’t have been voted out last night. It should have been Myleene Klass!” ITV admitted there was a computer error but denied accusations votes had been miscounted. Gest himself reportedly declined a recount.

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