Kimberly Burch, Fiancée of Faster Pussycat Singer, Dies After Going Overboard on ’80s Cruise – Variety
By
Jordan Moreau
Kimberly Burch, a realtor and the fiancee of Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe, has died after going overboard an ’80s-themed Royal Caribbean cruise.
“It is with broken hearts that we share the sad news that Kimberly Burch has passed away,” her family posted to Facebook on Tuesday morning. “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!!”
On Monday, Burch posted a selfie with Downe on Threads with the caption “We made it aboard @the80scruise.” Faster Pussycat is one of the musical acts on board the cruise, and the hard rock/glam metal band had a performance on Sunday and another scheduled for Tuesday night.
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Royal Caribbean said in a statement to Variety, “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.” The U.S. Coast Guard also told TMZ that the incident happened 20 miles from Freeport, Bahamas, and a helicopter crew was sent to search for Burch’s body.
The cruise, billed for nostalgic lovers of ’80s music, began on Sunday, March 2, and returns on Sunday, March 9. The lineup also includes Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany, Christopher Cross, Sheila E., Men At Work, Andy Bell of Erasure, Quiet Riot, The Alarm, From the Jam, Warrant, Dokken, FireHouse, Information Society, Kurtis Blow, Honeymoon Suite, T’Pau, Naked Eyes, Musical Youth and MTV personalities Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Downtown Julie Brown.
Downe founded Faster Pussycat in 1985 with guitarists Greg Steele and Brent Muscat and bassist Kelly Nickels. The band has released four albums, “Faster Pussycat” (1987), “Wake Me When It’s Over” (1989), “Whipped!” (1992) and “The Power and the Glory Hole” (2006). After breaking up in 1993, they reformed in 2001 and have sold more than two million records worldwide. Downe has remained the one consistent band member after several shake-ups to the roster throughout the years.
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Source: https://variety.com/2025/music/news/kimberly-burch-dies-80s-cruise-faster-pussycat-1236327187/
