Kate Bush has revealed that one of the swimmers who went missing on Christmas Day was “one of (her) dearest friends”.
The Running Up That Hill singer took to her official website to pay tribute to her friend Matthew Upham, who remains missing after going for a swim off the coast of Devon, England on Christmas Day.
“Matthew was one of my very dearest friends. I’d known him for thirty years,” she began. “He was one of those people who touched everyone he met. He was extraordinarily kind, thoughtful and lived life to the full. He was also a great deal of fun.”
The 67-year-old continued, “His family are heartbroken and along with many of his friends, so am I.”
Bush noted that Upham was a “very strong” swimmer who had a great respect for the sea.
“It’s so tragic that he lost his life this way,” the Cloudbusting singer added. “The world has lost someone incredibly special. Thank you Matthew, for being one of the best friends anyone could have.”
Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton in Devon around 10.25am on 25 December after antiques dealer Upham, 63, and a man in his 40s could not be found. The coastguard’s search and rescue operation was called off at 5pm that day.
Over the weekend, Upham’s family issued a statement on his Instagram page, writing that he “is deeply loved and will be forever missed”.
“We would like to express our sincere and heartfelt thanks to the emergency services who responded, particularly the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) and coastguard, for their dedication, professionalism, and tireless efforts during this extremely difficult time. We are profoundly grateful for their compassion and support,” they added.
