Singer James Morrison left heartbroken as partner Gill Catchpole, 45, is found dead at their family home: Village 'in total shock' by news as family gathering around 'devastated' star and their two daughters
Singer James Morrison's partner Gill Catchpole, 45, has been found dead at home, leaving him heartbroken.
Mrs Catchpole, mother of the You Give Me Something singer's two daughters, was found at home in Whitminster, Gloucestershire, on Friday, according to reports.
Morrison, 39, shot to fame in 2006, scoring Top 10 albums, including two Number Ones, and winning Best British Male in 2007. He had been with Mrs Catchpole since the age of 17, after she moved in with his mother as a lodger.
Sources say the singer is 'devastated' as his family rallies to support him. He previously described her as his 'hero', with the title of recent album Stronger Than You Know inspired by her strength after the premature birth of daughter Ada.
He has two girls with Mrs Catchpole: Elsie, 15, and Ada, who is now five. Mrs Catchpole ran a café and catering business from the village where the family lived.
James Morrison with Gill Catchpole as they attend a film premiere in 2012. Sources say he has been left 'devastated' by the tragedy
James Morrison and Gill Catchpole in a candid photo on social media
Gill Catchpole was reportedly found dead on Friday at the home she shared with singer-songwriter Morrison in Gloucestershire
Gill Catchpole ran a catering business, the Cotswold Sandwich Box, in the Gloucestershire village where she lived with Morrison and their daughters
Morrison rose to fame as a singer-songwriter in 2006 and has since released a number of albums, including two Number Ones.
The sun reports that police cars were outside the Cotswold Sandwich Box business on Saturday. It was closed because officers were visiting.
A source told the newspaper: 'Gill was found dead at the family home in Whitminster on Friday.
'James is devastated and is supported by his family. He is keeping it together for their girls, but has asked that the family be left alone to grieve privately.”
A local resident added that the village was in 'complete shock' after the tragedy.
Morrison has spoken about helping Gill find strength when daughter Ada was born 13 weeks prematurely, weighing just 1lb 11oz, and spoke of a 'difficult year' when the little baby was born.
Elsie was also born in difficult circumstances, with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Due to the difficult birth, Mrs Catchpole spent a week and a half in hospital.
Morrison, who was himself born prematurely and had to be brought back from the brink four times after contracting whooping cough as a baby, said his partner was irreplaceable after all she had endured for their children.
He told the mirror of the moments after Ada's birth: 'When we got back to the ward, I let all my emotions run wild. Gill was my hero.
'I'm still in awe of how she got through it. She is my rock. I've known her since I played open mic bars and was a van cleaner. I could never replace her.”
He told Lorraine in 2019: '(My daughter) was born at just 1lb 11oz. She was really small, but now she is a good, strong baby. She compensates for it in volume.
'It's good that we have reached this point now, because the first year was difficult. Everything that was difficult is now worth it.
“(Gill) was feeling down after the baby, so I admired her so much.
'I just wanted to write a song that sounded like sunshine on the radio. I wanted to cheer her up, and she said I did.”
Morrison has spoken candidly about his romance with Ms Catchpole, telling the White Wine Question Time podcast that she had moved in with her then boyfriend into his mother's house as a tenant.
He said he had learned songs from a Stevie Wonder album and began “serenading” her with the tunes in an attempt to impress her.
In comments reported by Yahoo! News, he recalls, “When she moved in, I started singing all the songs from that album to her. I played all that stuff on the acoustic guitar.
'I'm not like, “I like romance.” But I do find certain things romantic and the fact that we met the way we did. It's like a fairy tale or something.'
Gill Catchpole and James Morrison have two daughters together: Elsie, 15, and five-year-old Ada
In his career, Morrison has played all over the world and duetted with stars such as Anastacia (seen here in December 2023 in Cologne)
Ms Catchpole had shared a post on her company's social media last year expressing her excitement about starting the business after undergoing a kidney transplant.
Morrison has previously revealed she was struggling with one of her kidneys, saying in an interview that one kidney was working at “35 percent.”
She wrote in the November post: “Well what can I say. What a difference a year makes. This time last year I had my kidney transplant and a year later, after many ups and sorrows, I have my own business here.
'At the beginning of this year I didn't see this coming. For anyone who is going through a hard time, I can tell you from experience that it gets better.
'Thank you to my wonderful family and friends who have all been there and picked up the many pieces of me and my life. You all know who you are. Today I feel blessed.”
Morrison is an acclaimed songwriter who not only performs his own hits, but has also written for stars such as Olly Murs and Demi Lovato.
His last Instagram post, on Thursday, showed him in his home studio with a guitar in front of a computer running recording software. The caption read: “New year, new adventure.”
This is a groundbreaking story, more to come.