Tributes poured in for 'shy' and 'gentle' Paul Cattermole after it was announced on Friday, April 7, that the former S Club 7 member had been found dead in his home in Dorset.
Prior to his death, in 2018, the singer confirmed he had flogged his BRIT Award on eBay after he faced heartbreaking money struggles.
The star confirmed he managed to get £60,000 for the rare award after many fans assumed the post was a hoax.
Fans were shocked when the bidding went from £3,000 to an eyewatering £60,000 in a matter of 24 hours.
At the time, the late star confirmed the bid was a genuine bid and he was planning to ship the gong to the fan who worked out the cash.
Speaking to NME, Paul explained: “I know the guy – he’s a fan; I’ve seen his name on social media.”
Prior to finding out the fan lived a 10-hour flight away, he promised to hand deliver the award.
Later, he admitted it was going to be tough.
He said: “The fact that it’s gone to a fan is awesome. But he’s well over a 10-hour flight away, so the hand-delivery situation is a bit difficult.”
After putting his award up for sale, Paul was inundated with messages and said he spent “40-50 hours” answering them.
He said: “A lot of people have been saying to me: ‘Fair play to you, mate, sorry to hear you’re having difficult financial times.’
“I expected it to go for anything five to 10 [thousand]. I’ll be honest, if it had gone for that, I would have been happy. It just started going crazy.”
The decision to sell the award came as Paul publicly revealed he had been struggling with money worries.
Alongside selling his Brit, the star also earned cash by working a range of different jobs.
In a 2018 interview with Loose Women Cattermole revealed that, since leaving The Rocky Horror Show cast, he was "working on odd jobs" to make ends meet, and that he had later found regular work as a station manager for a community radio station in Swanage.
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