Rachel Stevens detailed the emotional tribute to bandmate Paul Cattermole on Sunday as S Club 7 prepare to reunite.

The singer was found dead on April 6 – just two months after he and the band announced they were due to go on a reunion tour this autumn.

The band’s 25th anniversary reunion tour – which kicks off in October – has been renamed The Good Times Tour, after one of the tracks on which Paul had lead vocals. 

She told The Mirror: ‘We have renamed the tour. It’s called the Good Times tour, that was Paul’s solo song that he was going to do an acoustic version of, so we just felt like that was so fitting. 

‘Paul is with us on so many decisions that we make, we think of Paul and there’s so many sort of elements that are there with him in mind. It’s definitely gonna be a huge celebration. It is so much fun, so much joy, lots of memories, and it’s a tribute to him.’

S Club has released new single These Are The Days in Paul’s honour, with the accompanying music video showing a montage of Paul over the years.

As the five remaining members of the band flip through a photo album of memories, each shot turns into a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and achieved chart topping pop success.

Paul died at the age of 46 from natural causes at his home in Dorset on April 6, it was announced in a statement released by his family.

His body was discovered in his ground floor flat, devastating his bandmates and fans.

Paul left the group in 2002, citing ‘creative differences’, and the group changed their name from S Club 7 to simply S Club before splitting for good a year later. 

Hannah Spearritt, 42, will also be missing from the tour, but Rachel insisted that the ‘door is always open’ for her to return to the band.

She was there in February when the tour was announced, but later learned in July that she was not in the line-up.

The singer, 42, left the band unexpectedly in May, after the shocking death of her former boyfriend and bandmate Paul.

The remaining members of the group – Rachel, Jo, Jon, Bradleyand Tina Barrett – decided to rename S Club 7 as merely S Club and continue as a five-piece.

Rachel went on to say: ‘Nostalgia is such an incredible, powerful thing and there’s so much love for S Club, and there’s been so much support since our new single.

‘So to get back out there and perform music we love and that the fans are going to love is really exciting. Some of our fans might have kids now, so that’ll be lovely to bring their kids along, and I can’t wait for all of our kids to be a part of this too.’#

Hannah and Paul dated from 2001 before splitting in 2006, with the pair rekindling their romance in 2015 before finally going their separate ways just months later.

After his sudden death from heart issues in April at 46 , Hannah told The Sun: ‘I can’t stop crying. I still can’t believe I will never see him again.

‘I’m trying my best to hold it together but once I start, I can’t stop crying. And then I have to keep myself together for our two kids [with boyfriend Adam Thomas]. I can’t even imagine any mother losing her child.’

S Club has released new single These Are The Days in Paul’s honour , with the accompanying music video showing a montage of Paul over the years.

As the five remaining members of the band flip through a photo album of memories, each shot turns into a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and achieved chart topping pop success.

Speaking to The Sun, Rachel said the band are now closer than ever and have bonded over their shared grief.  

Jo added the band feel it is important to remember Paul for the ‘goofy’ bandmate he was and will pay tribute to him in their tour.

‘The smiles have replaced the tears, in a really positive way,’ she said

While filming the accompanying music video, they explained they saw a butterfly that they believed was their late bandmate.

Tina told the publication: ‘There was a butterfly. We were all sat down and a butterfly came from nowhere. It was a really bright, beautiful butterfly which flew down and went off. I don’t know why, but I just thought, “That’s Paul”. It came from nowhere.’

Susanna Reid has paid tribute to ‘beautiful friend’ Suki Thompson who died of skin cancer just days after appearing on Good Morning Britain.

The presenter, 52, took to Instagram on Tuesday to confirm the devastating news of former advertising industry star Suki’s passing after a terminal battle with the illness. 

Last month, Suki was interviewed by Susanna on GMB from her hospital bed about having been diagnosed with cancer four times over the past 15 years and how important it is to wear SPF on your skin in the sun.

Just days later, on July 30, the campaigner – who raised more than £200,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support following her diagnosis – sadly died and Susanna has now paid tribute to her ‘beautiful’ friend in an emotional post shared to Instagram.

She posted a photograph of the order of service for Suki’s funeral and wrote about how her friend was the ’embodiment of strength’ in an accompanying caption.

She posted: ‘Our beautiful friend Suki Thompson. The embodiment of strength & optimism. A passion for living life to the fullest. Go well lovely.’

Just days before her death, entrepreneur Suki, who ran multiple businesses, had appeared on GMB from her hospital bed where she was interviewed by her close friend Susanna.

Suki had been diagnosed with cancer four times over the past 15 years, and told how she might only have days left to live on the show, before her death on July 30.

Speaking from her bed in a hospice in Cornwall, Suki opened up to Susanna and co-host Martin Lewis about how she would be spending her final days.

Susanna was left visibly emotional as she and her friend told each other how much they meant to each other, with the broadcaster hailing her pal as ‘an inspiration’.

Susanna told Suki: ‘It’s been a privilege knowing you and being friends with you.’

She went on to call her an ‘incredible person’, before adding: ‘What you are doing is so so remarkable. Huge love to you and the family. And just keep going, keep going. Human sunshine.’

Extending the kind words back to her pal, Suki said back to Susanna: ‘I am so inspired by having a friend like you Susanna.’

Touched by Suki’s moving words, Susanna choked back tears as she quickly added: ‘You’re the inspiration.’ 

Suki’s diagnosis came when she discovered what she thought was a wart on her foot and was given verruca cream to treat it, before it was confirmed it was more serious. The cancer then spread to her brain and became terminal.

In June, Suki had shared an emotional video of herself and Susanna holding hands on a beach as she detailed how much the star meant to her. 

She wrote in her caption: ‘Friends are so important to our wellbeing, and @susannareid100 is one of the best.

‘Susanna inspires me to always ask the important questions in life, even when that is not the easiest way forward.

‘We must always look to see the best in people, even when you may disagree.’

Suki co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer for the Oystercatchers intermediary marketing consultancy in 2007 and also served as chair of the Marketing Society. 

She was also a valued member of Wacl (Women in Advertising, Communications and Leadership) and the MGGB (Marketing Group of Great Britain).

Since her own cancer diagnosis she raised in excess of £200,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Richard Robinson, managing director of Xeim Engage and Oystercatchers, told The Drum: ‘Suki was my long-time business partner and friend. I always knew from my first day as an Oystercatcher this day would one day come, but never believed it would. 

‘Suki was one of a kind, the best of us, someone who leaves a legacy across the marketing and communication industry in the relationships she shaped and the humanity she shared. She was a beautiful soul and I will miss her greatly.’ 

Visit Suki’s JustGiving page at https://justgiving.com/page/teamsuki to support her fundraising campaign. 

Heartbroken Dean Gaffney has announced the death of his beloved mother Marian.

The former EastEnders actor, 45, took to Instagram to break the news after finding her ‘asleep’ on Monday morning. 

Alongside a photo of himself and his mum, he wrote: ‘I am simply broken to share that my beautiful selfless mother Marian has sadly passed away.

‘I was, am and always will be a mummy’s boy so this news has completely floored me.

‘I spoke to her every day and in some ways I’m glad I’m the one that found her asleep.

Dean continued: ‘I will retain all the amazing memories that we shared and whilst I understand the circle of life means everyone will feel this pain at some point in their lives, life can be very cruel at times.

‘To know I will

 never be able to physically see or speak to her ever again is beyond any pain I’ve ever experienced in my life.

‘We all tell our parents and loved ones we love them flippantly at the end of a phone call but please tell them you actually really love them… put down that phone when you’re with them, as my mums only criticism of me was that I would be on my phone when in her company. Life really does change from one minute to the next.

He added: ‘I truly love you Mum, you don’t only hold a special place in my heart, you are my heart.

‘For anyone that knew her, I don’t need to remind you of who my mum was as a person for others that don’t, she was the most amazing selfless, caring, generous soul to ever walk the earth. Mum, I truly love you.’

Fans and friends showed their support after hearing the devastating news, with fellow EastEnders actor Max Bowden penning: ‘Love you so much mate. She was so proud of you.’

Carol Vorderman said: ‘Oh Dean. I’m so very sorry to hear your news….. you loved her so much and she would have been so proud of you. Sending love as ever.’ 

Alison Hammond added: ‘Massive condolences to you and your family I feel this with you’ 

Celebs Go Dating star Anna Williamson said: ‘Dean, I’m so sorry to hear this honey. Sending love & always here if you need a shoulder.’ 

Dean, who is most famous for playing Robbie on the BBC soap, shares twins Chloe and Charlotte, with ex partner Sarah Burge.

The pair met when they were just 15-years-old and dated for 22 years before they announced their split in June 2015, after he admitted to cheating on her with a string of women.

Dean recently revealed he felt lucky to be alive after his medical for I’m A Celebrity raised bowel cancer concerns which prompted emergency surgery.

He took part in the recent all stars version of the ITV reality show after originally competing in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2006.

He was given the boot from the series before his fellow campmate Myleene Klass went on to win the season .

The star was first considered for the covid-safe version of the show which took place during lockdown at Gwrych Castle in North Wales in 2020.

And, after undergoing medical tests for his potential appearance, doctors were concerned about what they saw as a result of tests, with Dean now considering the I’m A Celebrity tests to have saved his life.

He told the Mirror: ‘There is no doubt I’m A Celeb and its medical team saved my life. I might not be here today if it wasn’t for them finding what they did.’

Doctors found number of polyps in his large intestine which left him needing an emergency procedure.

‘Within hours I was in a hospital gown and under general ­anaesthetic and they took it out,’ explained Dean.

After he came round from his surgery, Dean claims a doctor told him: ‘Had you not come to us today, in three years that could have turned to bowel cancer. You’ve been very lucky.’

Ex-MLS goalkeeper Brad Knighton pays heartbreaking tribute to daughter Olivia, 11, who was killed in boating accident after being struck by a propeller when she fell into the water

• Olivia was one of nine who fell off the boat and was then struck by a propeller
• Authorities say the circumstances surrounding the accident remain unclear 
• DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news 

By Jack Bezants For Dailymail.Com

Updated: 19:18 EDT, 29 July 2023

In Dreams (Leeds Playhouse)

Verdict: It’s got it

Rating:

Annie Get Your Gun (Lavender Theatre, Epsom, Surrey)

Verdict: Scatter-shot Annie

Rating:

Roy Orbison was a rock’n’roll ventriloquist. It was incredible how little the Big O, as they called him, had to open his mouth to create that sonic boom.

It was as if the man had recently endured root-canal surgery — but could still, somehow, blow the wigs off an audience.

So the big challenge for the new Orbison jukebox musical, led by American actress and singer Lena Hall, was whether it could live up to that extraordinary voice.

Written by David West Read — the author of the Max Martin catalogue musical & Juliet — the show has all-too-transparent designs on our tear ducts. But as Orbison himself might have said of Hall and the cast’s mighty singing: they’ve got it.

Set in a New Mexico diner, it’s a midlife crisis of a musical: Hall’s long, tall, rock singer Kenna invites former band members to celebrate the Mexican Day Of The Dead with her, after she’s been diagnosed with cancer.

But however weird and tenuous the set-up may be, it’s just a pretext for songs ranging from I Drove All Night to Only The Lonely.

The emotional manipulation is cranked up with cascading drums and yearning guitar, typical of Orbison.

But ingeniously, West Read makes the songs fit the story seamlessly, as the friends gather to lament — and celebrate their lives with Kenna.

At its best, the production, directed by Luke Sheppard, has the atmosphere of a gig, with the silver-haired audience swaying and singing along.

Hall, as our skinny, gothic heroine who’s hit 40 and medical reality simultaneously, drives the show with a disdainful swagger — and one hell of a voice.

She is prone to running up and down the vocal scales at full tilt, but breaks up her mega-yodels with tender moments in songs such as Crying and Love Hurts. 

Light relief is provided by Oliver Tompsett as Ramsey, a former lover and the band’s Cockney drummer (who carries his sticks tucked down the back of his jeans, snug in his builder’s cleavage).

Also amusing (and note perfect) are Sian Reese-Williams and Noel Sullivan as former band members who are now on to their fifth child.

But Manuel Pacific is outstanding as the grief-stricken cafe owner, who matches Orbison’s vocal technique from top to bottom in the title number.

The most popular characters are (unsurprisingly) the least self-pitying: Alma Cuervo and Richard Trinder as the wise Spanish grandma and the personal injury lawyer, who get it on in a technically brilliant and hilarious rendition of Pretty Woman.

None of the pain here matches that of Orbison, who lost a wife and children of his own. But this is surely a moody, broody must for lovers of this rock’n’roll colossus. 

A jolly production of Annie Get Your Gun at the lavender-perfumed new open-air theatre in Epsom, Surrey, aims, according to director Simon Hardwick in the programme, to ‘challenge the status quo’ and inspire us to ’embrace the empowerment of women’. 

Happily, it’s more successful at providing a hearty night out, with barbecue and beer tent.

This is just as well, as on the night I attended, the audience at the 200-seater venue, attached to a green-belt garden centre, hailed from as far afield as Norfolk, Yorkshire, Cornwall — and even Australia.

One elderly lady came dressed as an Indian squaw in celebration of the cowboys and Native Americans themed show. And no one seemed in search of Hardwick’s socio- political enlightenment.

Irving Berlin’s Hicksville musical features toe-tapping classics of the genre from There’s No Business Like Show Business to Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better).

As sharp-shootin’ cowgirl Annie Oakley, our 2018 Eurovision Song Contest entrant SuRie is hardly a feminist firebrand. More nanny than Annie, she could do with turbo-charging the whip-cracking attitude to bring Charlie McCullagh in line as chauvinist hunk Frank Butler.

But it’s a promisingly ambitious start in this new venue. Just come armed with blankets for the return of the traditional British summer.

Word-Play (Royal Court Theatre, London)

Verdict: Tricky

Rating:

Language is slippery stuff and has preoccupied playwrights from Shakespeare to Samuel Beckett. In Rabbiah Hussain’s tricky but tantalising new play, it’s seen as having viral qualities running through society in the wake of a Prime Minister’s gaffe. Who can she be thinking of?

The gaffe itself is not revealed, and the play itself is not concerned with traditional story telling.

Instead it’s a series of sketches traversing sundry locations and social situations. It starts in Downing Street, switches to a bus stop, goes on to alight on a ‘completely detached house in Highgate’ and, perhaps a little too predictably, winds up in a immigration detention centre — via a slew of other settings.

One of the more amusing (and comprehensible) scenes concerns the bovine public transport dictum ‘see it, say it, sorted’.

At another point a boyfriend (Issam Al Ghussain) wants to know why his politically correct girlfriend (Sirine Saba) calls him ‘different’.

Even salt levels in food can be construed as, if not racist, then culturally insensitive. Such is the paranoia of the society we have come to inherit.

But it’s also comic, and what’s clever and curious about Hussain’s play is the way it probes norms not everyone accepts. So we see a politician censored for using the word ‘weird’ on the radio. And there’s a playfulness in the way Hussain looks at how we use language on our phones, in personal relationships and in official situations.

The weirdness (if I may risk using that word) of the play’s non-linear structure is part of the point, but I’m not sure Hussain’s message requires this level of coding. There were periods in the 80-minute odyssey when I was completely lost.

Even so, Nimmo Ismail’s production, performed on office carpet tiles between a two-way mirror and a playground mural, always tantalises. It also has a lot of fun with words in ways that are all too uncommon on the modern stage, which is more concerned with policing language than enjoying it.

S Club have said how lucky they feel for the time they spent with late bandmate Paul Cattermole before his sudden death from heart issues in April aged of 46. 

The group, now consisting of Bradley McIntosh, 41, Rachel Stevens, 45, Jo O’Meara, 44, Tina Barrett, 46, and Jon Lee, 41, appeared on Magic FM on Thursday to promote their new single These Are The Days.

Discussing their first release in 20 years which is dedicated to Paul, the band said how it took them ‘months to come to terms’ with the loss.

The accompanying music video show shows a montage of Paul over the years with Jon saying: ‘It was really emotional [to film] but by that time we had had months to come to terms with what had happened’. 

‘And we realised how lucky we were to have that time with him, and everything we did with him was on film’. 

The band released the track, their first single in 20 years, on Wednesday and discussed what it was like returning to the spotlight. 

Bradley who was once known for his athleticism joked: ‘The black flips are out’.

With Tina adding: ‘We are in our 40s now!’. 

They went on to say how their wild partying days were now behind them and would enjoying ‘a bath and bed’ following their tour shows rather than wild parties.

‘The recovery period [from partying] is too long now’ Bradley said.

The moving music video pays tribute to Paul while documenting the many happy memories from their long career. 

As the five remaining members of the band flip through a photo album of memories, each shot turns into a video clip of the band as they rose to fame and achieved chart topping pop success. 

The group recently revealed that they felt they were visited by Paul’s spirit while shooting the music video for the new single. 

Coroners discovered Paul died from a ‘cardiac arrhythmia, acute myocardial ischaemia and severe coronary artery atheroma and intraplaque haemorrhage’. 

The group announced their 25th anniversary reunion in February and have now named the tour, which kicks off in October, The Good Times Tour, after one of the tracks on which Paul had lead vocals.

Speaking to The Sun, Rachel said the band are now closer than ever and have bonded over their grief.

Jo added the band feel it is important to remember Paul for the ‘goofy’ bandmate he was and will pay tribute to him in their tour.

‘The smiles have replaced the tears, in a really positive way,’ she said

While filming the accompanying music video, they explained they saw a butterfly that they believed was their late bandmate.

Tina told the publication: ‘There was a butterfly. We were all sat down and a butterfly came from nowhere. It was a really bright, beautiful butterfly which flew down and went off. I don’t know why, but I just thought, “That’s Paul”. It came from nowhere.’

Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin has paid tribute to his ‘dear, wise friend’ Silvio Berlusconi – while even a former Bunga Bunga girl admitted ‘I will always love him’ – after the former Italian Prime Minister’s death at 86.

The controversial media mogul, famed for his notorious Bunga Bunga sex parties, had been suffering from leukaemia ‘for some time’ and had recently developed a lung infection.

The ex-AC Milan president – who was in a relationship with 33-year-old Forza Italia MP Marta Fascina – was admitted to San Raffaele hospital in the Italian capital on Friday for what aides said were pre-planned tests related to his leukaemia but his spokesman confirmed his death this morning. 

Leading tributes from world leaders today, Putin said: ‘For me, Silvio was a dear person, a true friend. I have always sincerely admired his wisdom, his ability to make balanced, far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations.’

Meanwhile Hungary’s far-right and pro-Putin Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Twitter that ‘Gone is the great fighter’, along with a photo of him and Berlusconi. 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also hailed the ‘huge impact’ Berlusconi had on Italian politics over several decades, adding: ‘Our thoughts are with the Italian people and his family.’ 

Marysthell Polanco, who was implicated in the lavish parties Berlusconi held, also paid a touching tribute to the Forza Italia leader.

Dominican born Marysthell once confessed dressing as Barack Obama and a female prosecutor who was relentlessly pursuing Berlusconi.

At the time, she said the parties were more ‘burlesque’ than anything else although she was later said to have been paid to attend along with dozens of other women.

She said: ‘Silvio Berlusconi was a special man. He was delicate, ironic and the respect he had for me will always remain in my heart.

‘We both passed many carefree and difficult moments together, especially during his trials. I always loved him and I always will.’

Putin’s tribute comes nine months on from Berlusconi sparking fury by claiming his long-time friend was ‘pushed’ into invading Ukraine and only wanted to put ‘decent people’ in charge of Kyiv.

Facing widespread condemnation from opponents for appearing to defend the invasion, Berlusconi later released a statement to say that his views had been ‘oversimplified’. His friendship with Putin put him at odds with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a staunch supporter of Ukraine.

Ms Meloni did, however’ describe Berlusconi as ‘one of the most influential men in Italy’s history’. She added: ‘Berlusconi was above all a fighter. He was a man who was not afraid to defend his convictions.’

On his 86th birthday, while the war raged, Putin sent Berlusconi best wishes and vodka, and the Italian boasted he returned the favour by sending back Italian wine. 

Berlusconi’s former Italian football club AC Milan joined the Russian president in paying tribute to the billionaire tycoon who created Italy’s largest media company before transforming the country’s political landscape. 

AC Milan, who enjoyed immense success during Berlusconi’s 31-year reign between 1986 and 2017, said the club was ‘deeply saddened’ by the death of their ‘unforgettable’ former president.

Translated into English from Italian, the Italian club posted on social media: ‘Deeply saddened, AC Milan grieves the passing of the unforgettable Silvio Berlusconi and wishes to reach out to the family, associates, and most cherished friends to share our sympathies.

They then quoted their former president:”’Tomorrow, we will dream of new ambitions, create new challenges, and seek new victories. Which will represent the good, the strong, and the true that lies inside us, in all of us who shared this adventure of binding our lives to a dream called Milan”’.

The heartfelt statement finished with: ‘Thank you, Mr. President. Always with us.’

Since 2018, Berlusconi had owned fellow Serie A side Monza, overseeing a promotion to the top division in 2021-22.

The club also tweeted a tribute, posting: ‘Adriano Galliani and all AC Monza mourn the loss of Silvio Berlusconi. A void that can never be filled, forever with us. Thank you for everything President.’

Carlo Ancelotti, who played for Milan under Berlusconi before coaching under him too, posted on his Twitter account: ‘Today’s sadness doesn’t erase the happy moments spent together. There remains infinite gratitude to the president, but above all to an ironic, loyal, intelligent, sincere man, fundamental in my adventure as a football player first, and then as a coach. Thank you President.’

Members of the Italian government also mourned his passing, with Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini calling him in a statement ‘a great man and a great Italian’.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto wrote on Twitter that Berlusconi’s death amounted to the end of an era. ‘I loved him very much. Farewell Silvio,’ Crosetto said.

Adding to the tributes, former Italian PM Matteo Renzi said: ‘Many loved him, many hated him: everyone today must recognise that his impact on political but also economic, sporting and television life was unprecedented.’

Giuseppe Conte, Italian prime minister from 2018 to 2021, added that Berlusconi ‘ignited and polarised the public debate perhaps like no other.’ 

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Berlusconi as ‘a great friend’ of the country. He posted: ‘I was deeply saddened by the passing of Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy. 

‘My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and to the people of Italy. Silvio was a great friend of Israel and stood by us at all times. Rest in peace my friend.’

Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party is part of Ms Meloni’s right-wing coalition, and although he himself did not have a role in government, his death is likely to destabilise Italian politics in the coming months.

His business empire also faces an uncertain future. He never publicly indicated who would take full charge of his MFE company following his death, even though his eldest daughter Marina is expected to play a prominent role. 

Berlusconi was prime minister for three spells, running from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011.

His health markedly deteriorated in recent years, with open-heart surgery in 2016 and numerous hospital admissions since contracting Covid-19 three years ago.

The former PM was discharged from hospital last month after treatment for a lung infection linked to a Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukaemia (CML).

He was admitted to intensive care in April in the cardiac unit of the San Raffaele hospital after suffering from breathing problems.

While there, Berlusconi, the leader of the Right-wing Forza Italia party, was diagnosed with a lung infection and CML – a rare blood cancer characterised by high numbers of white blood cells.

He was discharged on May 19 after 45 days in hospital. Berlusconi had previously overcome prostate cancer, which he described as ‘a nightmare lasting months’.

But it was his battle with Covid in 2020 which he described as the ‘most dangerous challenge’ of his life.

His death bring an end to a colourful yet controversial political career with the former prime minister famed for his notorious Bunga Bunga parties.

The sex parties, which involved prostitutes, caused major outrage across Italy.

His image was further tarnished when lurid details emerged of his sex parties at his villa near Milan with its private disco, during a hugely embarrassing trial involving a 17-year-old nightclub dancer.

Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2013 for paying for sex with Karima El-Mahroug, known as ‘Ruby the Heart Stealer’ – but this was later overturned after the judge said there was reasonable doubt that he knew she was underage.

Cameron Robbins’ devastated parents paid tribute to their ‘intense and driven’ son, who disappeared last month after jumping off a Bahamas party boat into shark infested waters. 

Speaking the day before a memorial for the 18-year-old, William and Shari Robbins, both 54, said they ‘appreciate’ the tributes being paid to their son. 

The couple described the high school baseball star as ‘funny and kind-hearted’ and ‘intense and driven’ to the New York Post. 

‘We are just mourning our son right now,’ Shari said. ‘We appreciate everyone’s support,’ added William. 

Their heartbreaking remarks come after chilling footage revealed a witness shouted the farewell ‘bye bye’ to the teenager after he jumped overboard on May 24. 

Robbins, 18, went missing after leaping from the party boat Blackbeard’s Revenge off uninhabited Athol Island while on a high school graduation trip. The search was called off two days later with no sign of the missing teen.

Video from the party boat shows the high school baseball star already in the water, with an indistinct white figure, possibly a shark, moving in the water near him. 

Screams go up from the crowd on board the boat, as a male is heard shouting: ‘This kid f***ing jumped off! Oh my f***ing God! Oh, shut the f*** up! Oh, bye, bye!’

‘Hey, grab the buoy!’ another person shouts, referring to a life preserver in the water. The video ends as Robbins swims away from the life preserver. 

Meanwhile, the Louisiana teen’s family paid tribute to his life in an obituary following a visit to the scene where he disappeared. 

In the online obituary, his family paid tribute to their ‘beloved grandson, son, brother and friend’ who ‘was a recent high school graduate of the University Lab School in Baton Rouge,’ Louisiana. 

The tribute says that Robbins was adopted shortly after his birth in November 2004, going on to participate ‘in any and every competitive activity that he could find, dominating numerous YMCA and church-league preschool team leagues.’

It says: ‘He eventually chose baseball as his first love. […] He was a tough player, battling back from multiple injuries, known to pitch through separated shoulders and broken hands. He hoped to continue his baseball career at the college level.’

His family says he had recently returned from a weekend fishing trip on the Louisiana Gulf Coast with his father and brother before he left for his graduation celebrations in the Bahamas.

In addition to being a sports lover, his family wrote ‘he loved his truck and country music, and was always a big star in the shower and with karaoke machines.

‘He was also an avid LSU fan regularly attending football, basketball and baseball games. Finally, he loved all things edible, especially his mother’s red beans and his grandmother’s spaghetti and meatballs. He made frequent late-night trips to his family’s pantry, where he consumed large quantities of fruity pebbles and popcorn.’ 

The tribute adds: ‘Though he left this world far too soon, he lived a life full of good friends and family He was funny and kind-hearted, but also intense and driven. He doted on his grandparents and he took pride in his work.

‘He will be missed desperately by his family and friends, who will carry their cherished memories of him to eternity.’

The family are holding a memorial service on Sunday, June 4, and have requested donations be made in his name to the charity – Christian Homes & Family Services in Abilene, Texas – an adoption agency.

On Friday, the mother of one of Robbins’ friends told Fox News that revealed that several students tried to grab him before he took the plunge but he broke free.

‘This was a booze cruise, and they were on their way back when this happened,’ the unnamed woman said.

‘My son texted me when it happened, saying, “Cameron jumped off. They can’t find him.” They were out there until 2, 3 the morning. It was terrible weather that night. The kids were cold, wet and traumatized.

‘The girls were in bikinis and bathing suits. The guys were giving them their shirts. It was a bad time to bring drunk 18-year-olds out into waters near this island where there’s nothing.’ 

Robbins had only been on the island mere hours before he joined the party cruise alongside dozens of recent graduates, who travelled to the Caribbean hotspot to celebrate finishing high school just days before the tragedy. 

But the mother said the other graduates were left in shock and disbelief after Robbins broke free and jumped into the water, leading to an exhaustive multi-day search that has since been called off.

Terrifying footage captured the moment Robbins was flung a life preserver by one of his fellow graduates, only for him to swim away from help as a shadowy image circled beneath.

The ominous video has fueled speculation he may have been attacked by a shark, and with no trace of the youngster, the multi-agency search for him was ended after two days.

Providing an update as the search was ended, Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) Commodore Raymond King confirmed that the area where Robbins went overboard is populated by a high number of sharks.

‘I can tell you that area where an individual reportedly jumped over, it’s an area that is really shark infested as well,’ he said.

‘It is so unfortunate, but I don’t want the family to lose hope.

‘The probability of survival decreases significantly particularly if a person did not have on a life vest and particularly if a person is perceived to be intoxicated.’

Before the operation was called off, the US Coast Guard deployed multiple search and rescue assets in response to obtaining assistance from the Royal Bahamas Defense Force.

The expansive search to find Robbins saw officials plot and scour a 325-square-mile area of the Caribbean Sea.

After the search for the teenager was ended, his heartbroken family travelled to the Bahamas to retrace his final movements. 

Speaking to WBRZ, United Cajun Navy Vice President Brian Trascher said: ‘It took a lot of strength for them to go out there and stay for a few days.

‘When we offered to take them out in a boat to the area where he went overboard and some of the area they were searching they went.

‘I know had to be very emotional for them, but they went and by Sunday they decided they wanted to go home.

‘Had they found a piece of clothing or any kind of clue, that would cause them to extend that 48-hour period, but if they don’t get any kind of indication then that’s usually when they call it off.’

Tributes have poured in for the teenager as the Baton Rouge community grapples with his disappearance.

His baseball coach, Justin Morgan, said: ‘Cameron is a kid who is truly loved by his teammates, teachers, and fellow classmates.

‘He is a fierce competitor on the baseball field. He is a hard worker both on and off of the playing field. Our school community is struggling right now but hoping for the very best.

‘Our thoughts and prayers have been and will remain with the Robbins family during this difficult time.’

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