1 day ago
10 
Faster Pussycat’s lead singer Taime Downe has finally addressed his fiancée Kimberly Burch’s mysterious death earlier this month.
Kimberly Burch and Downe, who has been the lead vocalist of the rock band since 1985, were on an 80s-themed Royal Caribbean cruise when she fell overboard.
A month on from the incident on March 2, Downe has now spoken out about Burch’s death for the first time.
According to US outlets, while chatting on SiriusXM, Downe said of his mental state: ‘It’s a roller coaster. I’m hanging in there. I’m just taking it a day at a time.’
Asked whether touring with Faster Pussycat after such an event will help him, Downe said: ‘My fingers are crossed. I think so. I hope so. I’m just going out and doing what I love to do with the people I love. So, I think it can’t be anything but therapeutic, you know what I mean?”
‘This is just heavy s**t, and I’m just looking forward to playing shows and having fun.’
Asked whether it’s okay to talk about Burch’s death, he replied: ‘No, it’s good to talk about it. It’s good to talk about it with my friends, my close-knit friends. But I don’t really wanna talk about it with strangers, ’cause it doesn’t seem appropriate. It is what it is.’
Downe also claimed Burch’s death was ‘alcohol and prescription related,’ he said, going on to add: ‘I loved the hell out of Kimberly, and it was just hard to deal with. We spent basically nine years together.’
As Explorer of the Seas is registered in the Bahamas, the Nassau police reviewed the case and cleared Downe of any wrongdoing, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
TMZ report officials were in possession of a video that shows the moments leading up to Burch’s death.
A source told MailOnline that the couple were heard ‘loudly arguing’ prior to the incident.
The insider said: ‘The argument was in their cabin, their neighbors heard only yelling but nothing specific being yelled out.
‘Their relationship looked amazing otherwise, there were never any complaints, little or big from either of them, they seemed to be in love with each other, very much.’
The source continued, saying they had heard ‘scattered stories Burch was drunk’ on the night of the fatal fall but ‘didn’t really drink and had helped Downe with his sobriety.’
Burch’s mother originally shared the news of her daughter’s death with TMZ, saying she’s confident Burch would not have hurt herself on purpose, and claiming the couple had allegedly been arguing.
She claimed Burch, who was 56 years old, had been drinking on the cruise, which was out of character for her, but that her daughter had been ‘excited’ about the trip.
A Royal Caribbean Group spokesperson told Metro: ‘Our crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort, is working with local authorities, and we are providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time.
‘To respect the privacy of our guest’s family, we have no additional details to share.’
A US Coast Guard spokesperson also told TMZ the incident happened around 20miles away from Freeport, Bahamas, and the Coast Guard deployed a helicopter crew to assist the Royal Bahamas Defense Coast in their search. Search efforts were later suspended.
A statement posted to Facebook by her family read: ‘It is with broken hearts that we share the sad news that Kimberly Burch has passed away.
‘She was a beloved Daughter,Sister,Sister-in-law and Aunt. She will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved her.
‘We ask for prayers during this time for our family as we try to wrap our minds around this heartbreaking tragedy. We love and miss you Kimberly Burch!!’
Burch had been accompanying Downe and Faster Pussycat on the 7-day cruise, which the rockstars were a featured act on alongside Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·