British pop singer commits suicide at Belgian music festival

A British pop singer climbed up a satellite mast and plunged to his death after playing in front of a sell-out crowd.

Charles Haddon’s fatal fall took place hours after a girl had been injured by another member of his group diving off the stage.

Haddon, 22, was said to be ‘very down’ after Friday’s gig at the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium, which attracted 180,000 people this weekend.

Suicide: Charles Haddon, singer for Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, leapt to his death from a telecommunications mast behind the main stage at the Pukkelpop festival shortly after his band performed at the Belgian event

During the performance by his band Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, fellow group

member Joe Hutchinson, 22, dived into the crowd, injuring a young woman.

There were chaotic scenes as she was rushed to hospital. The up-and-coming group, who have performed at Glastonbury and been aired on Radio 1, finished and left the stage. Hours later Haddon fell to his death.

A crowd member said: ‘Medics arrived to look after the girl. She seemed to be in bad way.

‘A few hours later Haddon was seen climbing the 60ft mast in a car park backstage.

‘Then he jumped. It’s pretty clear he’d have died instantly,’ said the source.

Police said the body was found slumped on the ground.

‘We are treating the death as suicide,’ said district attorney Marc Rubens.

Backstage: The structure from which it is believed Haddon plunged to his death

Festival organisers appeared to rule out an accident and on their website stated that Haddon had taken his own life.

A message on the band’s MySpace page last night read: ‘We are all so deeply saddened to confirm our friend Charlie Haddon passed away yesterday, Friday 20th August.’

The death came only a day after another tragedy at the festival in the town of Hasselt. Michael Been, the 60-year-old singer of US band The Call, died of an apparent heart attack on Thursday while working as soundman for his son’s band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, who supported electro-pop duo La Roux on tour last year, were due to perform in Austria at the Frequency Festival tonight and at Bestival in September.

The stage at Pukkelpop music festival yesterday. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool had performed on it just hours before Haddon's death

Music fans enjoy the Pukkelpop 2010 festival in Kiewit, near Hasselt. The tragedy has left a dark cloud hanging over the event

Haddon seems to have posted a buoyant Facebook message just hours before his last gig: ‘Goodbye Britain. We belong to Belgium and Austria for the weekend. Treat us nice!!’

Among fans’ tributes, one who was at Pukkelpop wrote: ‘I just can’t believe we were the last crowd to see Charles alive. I’m shocked. What a waste of talent.’

From Northamptonshire, Haddon moved to Camden, North London in 2008, where

he met locals Hutchinson and Caan Capan.

Together they formed Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, and the trio’s electro-pop music had won a growing following.