Lil' Chris RIP...and why you should show your pop stars a little more love...

Let’s face it, there are bigger and arguably more talented musicians who’ve passed away all too soon either through illness, accident or, as it sadly appears in this case, suicide, but the story of Lil Chris is still a tragic one. Thrust into the limelight by the walking tongue himself, Gene Simmonds, in Channel 4’s School Of Rock Lil Chris was, well, something of a lil' star at the time. After fronting the school band in the show he released a few singles (the first reached the dizzy heights of number 3 in the charts), did a bit of telly and then, horror of horrors, he grew up inevitably losing some of the cuteness that was part of his appeal in the first place. He seemed to have struggled with depression for a while, whether that was down to his dwindling celebrity or other factors is difficult to assess, but in the last couple of years he’d appeared in a musical and was working on a new album. He posted this track just three weeks ago, not bad at all...

Given the rapid churn of bands and artists these days it’s unlikely that Lil' Chris will be the last person to experience the dizzying highs and crushing lows of fame, however fleeting it might be, but perhaps if you’ve ever loved a band or artist and they've now vanished under the radar maybe today’s a good day to show ‘em some love eh? Twitter, Facebook...it couldn’t be easier.