Kimberly Burch, fiancée of Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe, is presumed dead after reportedly falling overboard from Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas cruise ship. The incident occurred on March 2, the first day of The ’80s Cruise, which departed from Miami. TMZ reports Burch’s mother, Carnell Burch, Downe informed her that Kimberly had fallen overboard. The circumstances remain unclear, but no body has been recovered.
Carnell expressed how Taime called her on Monday (3) to deliver the tragic news. It is unclear how Kimberly went overboard whether accidental or other circumstances. However, Carnell emphasized that Kimberly wouldn’t purposely hurt herself. According to TMZ, Carnell expressed how Kimberly was drinking on the cruise, which is something out of character for her to do. There was no discussion of depression or emotional issues prior to the voyage, where Kimberly was initially excited about the adventure.
At the time of writing this, Kimberly’s mother hasn’t spoken to authorities yet, and they are trying to get a hold of them while looking to recover the body. Taime and Kimberly were together for about six to seven years. According to TMZ, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson stated the incident happened about twenty miles from Freeport, Bahamas.
An anonymous attendee told the following to The Hollywood Reporter:
“[The incident] happened around 11 p.m. Squeeze was the band playing last night. 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.”
The ‘80s Cruise, featuring acts like Squeeze, Adam Ant, and Quiet Riot, set sail on March 2 and is scheduled to return on March 9. Faster Pussycat, led by Taime Downe since its 1985 formation, was among the performers. The band, known for hits across four albums, including the Gold-certified 1989’s Wake Me When It’s Over, has seen multiple lineup changes, with Downe as its only constant member. The group are currently scheduled to embark on the Monsters of Rock Cruise scheduled to set sail on March 10th and return on March 15th. While we can assume the group are unlikely attending at this point, no official statement has been made.
The Burch family has confirmed Kimberly’s death on Facebook, in the below statement made yesterday (3rd):
“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!!”
Most recently, Kimberly’s sister-in-law, Kellie Burch, spoke with the DailyMail, addressing how the family hasn’t heard from Downe since the phone call on Monday, stating:
“We haven’t spoken to him. He called my mother-in-law to notify her, but she hasn’t had any contact with him since then. None of us have.”
Kellie also addressed how Kimberly wouldn’t intentionally harm herself:
“She wouldn’t do that. It’s just not her. We just want to know what happened. We just want answers… All we want is answers. We’ve had absolutely zero contact with the cruise company. We’ve emailed, we’ve called, and nobody has gotten back to us.”
As of the time of publishing this, no public statements have been made from the 80s Cruise, Faster Pussycat, or Royal Caribbean Cruise line.
