Singer James Morrison's heartbreak as partner, 45, found dead at home

07 January 2024 , 22:06

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Gill Catchpole has died aged 45 (Image: Joanne Davidson/REX/Shutterstock)

Singer James Morrison's partner, Gill Catchpole, has died aged 45.

Gill was found dead at the family home in Gloucestershire on Friday. James, 39, and Gill share two daughters, Elsie, 15, and Ada, five, and the musician is being comforted by family and friends.

A source close to the family confirmed that there are no suspicious circumstances. The source said: "Gill was found dead on Friday at the family's home in Whitminster. James is devastated and is being supported by his family. He is holding it together for their girls but has asked for the family to be left alone to grieve in private."

Singer James Morrison has been left devastated by the death of his wife (Facebook)

It comes after Gill appeared to be looking for a new house just days before her death. Posting on her local Facebook group, she wrote: "Looking for a house to rent in Whitminster ASAP. Please contact me if anyone knows or hears of anything. TIA."

James previously opened up about fatherhood, and explained that becoming a dad to Elsie soon after his own father had passed away changed his outlook on life.

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He told OK! Magazine previously: "Just before he died my first daughter, Elsie, was born. So in a way her birth helped me think more about life. I then tried to focus on my music in a bid to pull me out of it. I began to write new songs, most of them were quite personal, which talked about my dad - so that was cathartic. Becoming a father changed the way I looked at life. Because I knew I needed to be there for my daughter. That helped me out of the dark times."

The singer has previously opened up about the unusual beginning of their relationship. The pair met when Gill moved into James's mother's house as a lodger - with her then-boyfriend. James explained on the White Wine Question Time podcast: "It wasn't the easiest start, but I just still see it as a really romantic thing. I'm not very romantic. I'm not like: 'I love romance!' But I do find certain things romantic and the fact that we met each other the way we did. It's like a little fairy tale or something!" James and Gill embarked on their romance three months after she split from her boyfriend and he moved out.

James preciously explained it was love at first sight for him when he met Gill (Facebook)

However, Gill's ex still found his way back into James's life - as he started dating his mum. The singer explained: ""He got me back. My mum rang me one day. And she said: 'I'm out on a date. I wonder if you can pick me up? ’I said: 'Where are you?' And she said: 'I'm at John's house.' And I was like: 'John's house? Who's John? ’She said: ’You know, Gill's John.

"Okay, so I have to go and pick my mum up from my girlfriend's ex's house, and it was the most awkward thing! ’But I didn't like the fact that she said that. So I was like: 'No it's not a date. They're just hanging out.' Yeah, it was awkward!"

James also admitted he fell for Gill at first sight - even though she wasn't available at the time of their first meeting. He said: "We just had a connection straight away really. But I had to wait two years to find out if what I thought I felt was real. Because I wasn't going out with her for the first year or so she lived there. She was with her boyfriend, so I was getting to know her. And I didn't want to tell her that I fell in love with her the first moment I set eyes on her because I didn't know, I never fell in love before. So I didn't really know if it was that. So it was like a massive moment for me to even tell her that I liked her."

James and Gill share two children; daughters Elsie and Ada (DAILY MIRROR)

James shot to fame in 2006 with the release of his debut single, You Give Me Something. He previously spoke about the meaning behind the song and how he came up with the lyrics. Talking to in 2015, he said: “The progression in the verse [had] a few subtle changes. I was saying something like, ‘Will you stay with me in the morning, will you hold me in the morning’ to make it more harsh like you’ve got to work to get the love. I think that was the key that kind of turned the song around, really, the reluctance in giving away nice comments in the song.”

The top 5 song was from his number 1 album, Undiscovered, and he went on to release the number 3 album Songs for You, Truths for Me in 2008, and the number 1 album The Awakening in 2011. His next album, 2015's Higher Than Here, reached number 7, and his 2019 album You're Stronger Than You Know reached number 14. He won the Brit Award for Best British Male in 2007 and released hit singles Broken Strings - a duet with Nelly Furtado - and I Won't Let You Go.

Daniel Bird