The band is, quite literally, playing on — only without its lead singer.
Faster Pussycat will still play its gig later this week aboard an ’80s nostalgia cruise after lead singer Taime Downe’s fiancée went overboard three days ago and is now presumed dead. According to a source close to the band, Downe will sit out the show, and Faster Pussycat will play cover songs instead of their usual set list.
Kimberly Burch, 56, fell off the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas on March 2 following an argument with Downe, 60. It’s unclear whether she accidentally fell or jumped, but Burch’s mother told TMZ that she believes her daughter would not have intentionally hurt herself. According to Page Six, Burch has reportedly been in a relationship with Downe for seven years.
Yet his glam metal band will fulfill their cruise ship contract to perform a second show during the cruise. Other performers on board this year’s The 80s Cruise include Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work.
Royal Caribbean’s press office did not reply to a media inquiry about the schedule. But a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean told THR early on Tuesday: “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.”
THR communicated with one passenger, who wished to remain anonymous, about what happened. “[The incident] happened around 11 p.m. Squeeze was the band playing last night. There was an announcement over the PA saying someone went overboard so the ship was going to stop and turn around to try and locate the person.”
The passenger added, “[The] ship was stopped for a few hours. Safety boats were deployed with floodlights to illuminate the surrounding area. Another cruise ship nearby had its floodlights on searching as well. My wife spoke with some people on one of the decks saying they heard that it was a woman and it was caught on camera. Can’t confirm though. Eventually the ship powered up and off we went. This morning a PA announcement said that the US Coast Guard had taken over the search. We arrived at Nassau, Bahamas a few hours behind schedule. No excursions were canceled. Haven’t heard anything since.”
The cruise features more than 50 concerts and fans and guests can also interact with their idols. The 2024 edition of the cruise featured Wang Chung, Air Supply, Soft Cell, The English Beat, Debbie Gibson, The Escape Club and 38 Special.
The seven-day roundtrip cruise sets off from Miami and calls at Nassau, San Juan and Puerto Plata.
Abid Rahman contributed to this report
Source: Hollywoodreporter
