Latest news with #FasterPussycat
Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
What happens when a passenger falls overboard on a cruise ship?
When some ships stand 70m above the waterline, you wouldn't want to imagine falling off one. Yet on rare occasions, people do. If you're ever enjoying a nightcap or stroll on deck after dinner and hear a Code Oscar — 'Oscar, Oscar, Oscar' — then keep calm. It's a broadcast from the bridge over the ship's public address system, alerting the crew that someone has gone overboard. The situation is frightening for other passengers and crew, alarming for the cruise line and also expensive. It might not be a case of merely chucking a lifebuoy either — complex search and rescue operations can involve coastguards, nearby ships and drones or June 2025, a young girl fell overboard from the fourth deck of the Disney Dream cruise ship, which was off the port of Fort Lauderdale. The child's father jumped in after her and both were quickly rescued by the crew. Earlier in 2025, Kimberly Burch, the fiancée of Taime Downe, lead singer of American rock band Faster Pussycat, went overboard and is presumed dead — her body has not been recovered. The group were on deck to perform on an Eighties-themed Royal Caribbean cruise. One passenger who went overboard in June 2023 survived a fall from the tenth deck of Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas, off the coast of the Dominican Republic. The 42-year-old woman recovered and was in good health, the coastguard said following the incident. Provided you behave sensibly on a ship, it's unlikely that you're going to topple off it. Keep an eye on your children and know where they are. Follow the crew's instructions in rough weather. And however much hospitality you've enjoyed on board, stay off those railings. I've been on board when a Code Oscar has been announced. Several years ago, I was on a Carnival ship, some distance out of Mykonos. The call went out. While the crew are thoroughly trained in dealing with 'man overboard' emergencies and leapt into action, it was a different story among the passengers for the simple reason that you don't know who has fallen off the ship. School holidays were in full swing and there were hundreds of children and teenagers on board, many of whom were in the kids' club, or otherwise away from their parents. Ashen-faced mums and dads were racing all over the ship, trying to find their offspring. The drama unfolded as the captain slowed right down and started circling the area where the sighting of the 'person' had been reported. Rescue boats were lowered, spotlights focused on the water, and the coastguard summoned. I was in the dining room with my kids at the time and everybody rushed to one side of the room to watch. It turned out that the alarm was a false one. Some passengers, after a liquid lunch, had spotted an air bed floating in the water and had taken it for a person and raised the alarm, the captain later told me through gritted teeth. However spurious the apparent sighting of a person overboard, every alarm has to be taken with the utmost seriousness. The crew will always operate to the same protocols; stop the ship, turn around to the spot where the incident happened, inform the coastguard and put down rescue boats. The idea of falling off a cruise ship is a chilling one but is also extremely rare. According to trade body Cruise Lines International Association (Clia), between 2009 and 2019, 212 people, representing just 0.00004 per cent of passengers and crew, went overboard. It's near-impossible to fall off a ship by accident. People who fall off ships are likely either drunk, high, suicidal, or are pushed. In the Clia report, every case that had been investigated was the result of 'an intentional or reckless act'. That's not to say it couldn't happen — but really, worrying about falling off the ship shouldn't even feature on your list of potential disaster-at-sea scenarios. 'Railings are designed to prevent people from going overboard,' says a spokesperson for Clia. 'Cruise ships have safety barriers in all public areas that are regulated by the US Coast Guard. By law, railings must be 42 inches tall. This height governs the railing of ships sailing not only in the US but elsewhere in the world.' Every balcony has either several railings or a plexiglass or steel panel so that no person can accidentally slide underneath. Cabins with a private balcony have locks high up on the doors, out of the reach of young children, so if you do leave your kids alone in the cabin for a while (which is not advised), they shouldn't be able to open the door. Ships carrying more than 250 passengers sailing in and out of US ports are also governed by the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act, which requires them to have video monitoring — meaning any unsafe behaviour or person overboard can quickly be spotted. In the event of rough weather that is potentially dangerous, the captain will close the outside decks to avoid anybody being flung around. Ships are built to the highest possible safety standards — and many use cutting-edge technology, too. For example, Ambassador Cruise Line has installed Zelim's intelligent man overboard detection system, ZOE, onboard Ambition. The system uses infrared and daylight cameras, sensors and software to detect and track anyone entering the water unexpectedly. Passengers have a responsibility for their own safety, too. You're told very clearly at the mandatory safety briefing never to climb on the railings. In more than 20 years of writing about cruising, I've only seen one person sitting on the railing, an influencer posing for Instagram. Good luck with that. • What should you do if you lose your passport?• Travel insurance guide: everything you need to know• How safe is a cruise ship in a storm? Additional reporting by James Williams
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe breaks silence on fiancee's mysterious cruise ship death
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe has opened up about his fiancee Kimberly Burch's death for the first time since she plunged over the side of a cruise ship following an alleged argument with the '80s glam rocker on March 2. 'It's a roller coaster,' Downe, 60, said during SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk on Friday, May 30. 'I'm hanging in there. I'm just taking it a day at a time. 'And everybody thought going out on the road and doing what I do and being with my family in my band would be good for me,' he continued, reports the New York Post. 'So I've taken their advice and I'm doing this. We're going out with some cool bands.' Downe and Burch, 56, were on-board Royal Caribbean ship Explorer of the Seas for an '80s-themed cruise where Faster Pussycat was performing alongside other bands like Men at Work, Squeeze and Tiffany. But on the first night of the seven-day voyage, Burch fell to her death while the ship was out to sea between Miami and the Bahamas. Burch's mother told entertainment website TMZ that the tragedy happened shortly after her daughter and Downe got into a 'heated' argument and that Burch had been drinking shortly before falling overboard. Downe added that his fiancee's shocking death was 'alcohol and prescription-related' during his interview with Trunk. 'So I blame alcohol and pills on it,' he said. 'There's no way I'd touch booze. For me, that's just completely disgusting in my brain, you know what I mean?' 'So I've got some hatred for booze, 'cause I loved the hell out of Kimberly, and it was just hard to deal with,' the House of Pain singer continued. 'We spent basically nine years together.' 'This is just heavy s**t,' Downe added, 'and I'm just looking forward to playing shows and having fun'. While the Poison Ivy vocalist said that 'it is what it is,' he also admitted that it's 'good to talk about it' three months after his fiancee's disappearance and death. 'It's good to talk about it. It's good to talk about it with my friends, my close-knit friends,' he said. 'But I don't really wanna talk about it with strangers, 'cause it doesn't seem appropriate'. 'It is what it is,' Downe added. A video of the incident, which has since been obtained by investigators, reportedly showed Burch climbing the cruise ship's railing before plunging off. It is still unclear whether she purposely jumped or accidentally fell. Her body was never recovered. Her brother, Keith, exclusively told The Post in March that his family is 'lost' without Burch. 'We feel lost … We have no answers at all,' he said. 'Something happening to one of your loved ones, and not even knowing what happened — it's awful'. Her family also addressed her death in a Facebook on March 4. 'She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her,' her loved ones stated. '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!' Meanwhile, Downe and Faster Pussycat kicked off a new tour on May 30 in Las Vegas. The band will be on the road until early July. 'I just think it'll be very therapeutic to get to see a bunch of fans and a bunch of friends across the country,' Downe said of Faster Pussycat's current tour. 'So I think it'll be helpful'.
Metro
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe addresses fiancee's mystery cruise ship death
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. More Trending 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 entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Cynthia Erivo defends her casting as Jesus in 'the gayest place on Earth' MORE: 16 and Pregnant star Whitney Purvis 'living a nightmare' after son Weston dies aged 16 MORE: Famous Hollywood couple shattered after learning they can't move to Ireland permanently
New York Post
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe breaks silence on fiancée's mysterious cruise ship death
Taime Downe has broken his silence. The Faster Pussycat frontman opened up about his fiancée Kimberly Burch's death for the first time since she plunged over the side of a cruise ship following an alleged argument with the '80s glam rocker on March 2. 'It's a roller coaster,' Downe, 60, said during SiriusXM's 'Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk' on Friday, May 30. 'I'm hanging in there. I'm just taking it a day at a time.' 6 Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe has broken his silence on his fiancée's mysterious cruise ship death. Instagram/Kimberly Burch 'And everybody thought going out on the road and doing what I do and being with my family in my band would be good for me,' he continued. 'So I've taken their advice and I'm doing this. We're going out with some cool bands.' Downe and Burch, 56, were onboard a Royal Caribbean ship called Explorer of the Seas for an '80s-themed cruise where Faster Pussycat was performing alongside other bands like Men at Work, Squeeze and Tiffany. But on the first night of the seven-day voyage, Burch fell to her death while the ship was out to sea between Miami and the Bahamas. 6 Kimberly Burch plunged over the side of a cruise ship on March 2. burchkimberly/Instagram Burch's mother told TMZ that the tragedy happened shortly after her daughter and Downe got into a 'heated' argument and that Burch had been drinking shortly before falling overboard. Downe added that his fiancée's shocking death was 'alcohol and prescription-related' during his interview with Trunk. 'So I blame alcohol and pills on it,' he said. 'There's no way I'd touch booze. For me, that's just completely disgusting in my brain, you know what I mean?' 6 Burch shared this social media post shortly before plunging overboard. Instagram/Kimberly Burch 'So I've got some hatred for booze, 'cause I loved the hell out of Kimberly, and it was just hard to deal with,' the 'House of Pain' singer continued. 'We spent basically nine years together.' 'This is just heavy s–t,' Downe added, 'and I'm just looking forward to playing shows and having fun.' While the 'Poison Ivy' vocalist said that 'it is what it is,' he also admitted that it's 'good to talk about it' three months after his fiancée's disappearance and death. 6 The couple was together for around six years before Burch's shocking disappearance and death. Instagram/Kimberly Burch 'It's good to talk about it. It's good to talk about it with my friends, my close-knit friends,' he said. 'But I don't really wanna talk about it with strangers, 'cause it doesn't seem appropriate.' 'It is what it is,' Downe added. A video of the incident, which has since been obtained by investigators, reportedly showed Burch climbing the cruise ship's railing before plunging off. It is still unclear whether she purposely jumped or accidentally fell. 6 'I loved the hell out of Kimberly,' Towne said of his late fiancée. Instagram/Kimberly Burch Her body was never recovered. Her brother, Keith, exclusively told The Post in March that his family is 'lost' without Burch. 'We feel lost … We have no answers at all,' he said. 'Something happening to one of your loved ones, and not even knowing what happened — it's awful.' Her family also addressed her death in a Facebook on March 4. 6 Faster Pussycat kicked off a new tour on May 30. FilmMagic 'She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her,' her loved ones stated. '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!' Meanwhile, Downe and Faster Pussycat kicked off a new tour on May 30 in Las Vegas. The band will be on the road through early July. 'I just think it'll be very therapeutic to get to see a bunch of fans and a bunch of friends across the country,' Downe said of Faster Pussycat's current tour. 'So I think it'll be helpful.'
Daily Mail
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe finally breaks silence on fiancee's mystery cruise ship death
Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe has finally broken his silence on the mysterious cruise ship death of his fiancee Kimberly Burch. Burch, 56, fell to her death 'from a room balcony' on the first night of The 80s Cruise on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, Explorer of the Seas on March 2. Realtor Kimberly had traveled on the seven day cruise to support Taime, who was performing with the punk band. The cruise departed from Miami and was set to visit Nassau, San Juan, and Labadee. A grieving Downe, 60, said on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk via Blabbermouth on May 30 he was 'hanging in there' as he navigates life without his longtime partner, saying: 'I'm just taking it a day at a time. 'And everybody thought going out on the road and doing what I do and being with my family in my band would be good for me. 'I loved the hell out of Kimberly, and it was just hard to deal with. We spent basically nine years together. 'I don't wanna get into what her psyche was at the time, but there's a lot of things that make up people's lives at a certain time of their life... It's been hard on everybody.' Downe also hit back at doubts over his sobriety amid his loss, saying: 'There's no way I'd touch booze. For me, that's just completely disgusting in my brain.' Hours before Burch's death she had posed up with Downe on the ship and wrote: 'We made it to @the80scruise.' Kimberly is said to have gone overboard on the first day of the cruise around 11pm PST - with a guest claiming on X she had 'jumped from the balcony of her 8th floor room' 80 miles from Miami. They wrote: 'Currently on the #RCL Explorer of the Seas for the #80scruise. Unfortunately, we have a "woman overboard' situation and boats have been deployed. We are currently 80+ miles from Miami at 11pm PST. Not good. 'It looks like the woman "jumped" from the balcony of her 8th floor room after an argument with her partner. This is our 15th cruise, and the first time we've actually experienced this. 'Clearly, the priority is recovering the woman. And the boat has turned around and is at a dead stop. They have deployed boats for the search. Could be a long night.... Another guest wrote: 'Person overboard on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. On the 80s Cruise. Just saw a great show by Squeeze, then it was announced a person is overboard. Ship is stopped and searching. Other nearby ships helping. Guests aboard the ship posted messages about the search on X A US Coast Guard spokesperson said the incident happened roughly 20 miles from Freeport, Bahamas. The Coast Guard deployed a helicopter crew and other personnel to assist the Royal Bahamas Defense Force in their search - which was later suspended. Kimberly and Taime had been together for around 'five or six years.' A passenger also told THR: '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] 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.' previously contacted representatives for Taime Downe, The 80s Cruise and Royal Caribbean for comment. Kimberly's mother Carnell Burch told TMZ Taime had called her to reveal Kimberly had died and that it is 'still unclear' whether her daughter jumped or accidentally fell from the ship, although she is 'confident Kimberly would not purposefully hurt herself.' Kimberly was drinking on the cruise, Carnell said, which was 'out of character for her' and Carnell claimed her daughter had had an argument with Taime before her death. Carnell added her daughter was not suffering from depression or emotional issues at the time and was excited for the trip, which was in its first day and featured musical acts including Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work. Glam metal band Faster Pussycat formed in 1985 comprised of Downe, guitarists Greg Steele and Brent Muscat and bassist Kelly Nickels. They forged a successful career over the late 1980s and early 1990s, selling over two million records worldwide They have released four albums, Faster Pussycat (1987), Wake Me When It's Over (1989), Whipped! (1992) and The Power and the Glory Hole (2006). They broke up in 1993, but reformed in 2001. Former drummer Brett Bradshaw died on March 26, 2021, at age 50.
