31 Facts About Pete Burns

Peter Jozzeppi Burns was an English singer, songwriter and television personality.

Pete Burns appeared on further television reality shows, including as a presenter.

Pete Burns was known for his ever-changing appearance, which he freely admitted was greatly modified by cosmetic surgery that eventually bankrupted him and caused health problems later in his life.

Peter Jozzeppi Burns was born on 5 August 1959 in Port Sunlight, Cheshire.

Pete Burns' mother, Evelina Maria Bettina Quittner von Hudec, was German-born and, according to Pete Burns' autobiography Freak Unique, her first marriage was to a German Freiherr.

Pete Burns later wrote of his childhood in his autobiography in which he described his mother's alcoholism and suicide attempts but maintained that she was "absolutely the best mother in the world".

Pete Burns spoke German until he was five, which resulted in local children spending days outside his house shouting "Heil Hitler".

Pete Burns was thrown out of school at 13 after being summoned to the headmaster's office because he had arrived at school with "no eyebrows, Harmony-red hair, and one gigantic earring".

Pete Burns later recalled that he was not upset by the experience, although he knew that people would expect him to be.

Pete Burns stated that he already knew the man, who drove him to Raby Mere and threatened him with an air gun.

Pete Burns was notorious for his maltreatment of customers, sometimes throwing their purchases at them because he disapproved of their selection.

In 1980, after replacing several members, Pete Burns changed the band's name to Dead or Alive.

Pete Burns said that he hated the sound of his voice, and wished he had been able to sing falsetto like Sylvester.

Pete Burns had an uncomfortable relationship with the corporate music industry, and expressed disgust at the way it functioned.

Pete Burns always refused to allow record company staff to hear his music before it was completed, which "didn't make [the executives] very pleased".

In December 2003, the BBC apologised to its viewers after Pete Burns swore once on its pre-9pm watershed Liquid News show when asked about his views on the Michael Jackson trial.

In January 2006, Pete Burns appeared on Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother 4, eventually reaching fifth on the show's final episode.

Pete Burns appeared in the first episode of the ninth series of the UK version of Celebrity Wife Swap.

Pete Burns was featured in a documentary, with a medium, exploring his rough and harmful childhood.

Pete Burns married Lynne Corlett in Liverpool on 8 August 1980.

Pete Burns met Corlett in a Liverpool hair salon where they both worked.

Pete Burns entered a civil partnership with his partner Michael Simpson shortly afterward in 2007.

Pete Burns stated in a Howard Stern interview that his husband has a daughter.

Pete Burns was known for his ever-changing, often androgynous appearance, which he freely admitted was greatly modified by cosmetic surgery.

Pete Burns had extensive polyacrylamide injections into his lips, cheek implants, several rhinoplasties and many tattoos.

In early 2006, Pete Burns revealed in an interview that he had spent most of his life savings on 18 months of reconstructive surgery after a cosmetic procedure on his lips went wrong.

Surgery-related health problems experienced by Pete Burns included pulmonary embolisms and near-fatal blood clots.

In March 2009, Pete Burns was admitted to a London hospital after collapsing from a kidney ailment.

Pete Burns was diagnosed with seven large kidney stones, which were removed with laser surgery.

In May 2016, Pete Burns sparked concerns when he was seen in public appearing bloated and dishevelled.

Pete Burns died in London following a sudden cardiac arrest on 23 October 2016, at the age of 57.