The search for the body of out German pop singer Daniel Küblböck has officially been called off.
33-year-old Küblböck, who rose to fame after coming in third Pop Idol, a spinoff of American Idol, was traveling alone on an Aida cruise ship bound from Hamburg to New York when an eyewitness says he leaped from a fifth floor balcony while off the coast of Newfoundland on Sunday.
In a statement released yesterday, an Aida Cruises spokesman confirmed what happened:
The cruise ship AIDAluna was on the sea route to Newfoundland when a person jumped overboard in the early hours of September 9, 2018. The captain and crew of AIDAluna have immediately taken all necessary rescue measures, in close coordination with the local competent authorities. A cabin check was performed, which confirmed that a male guest was missing. The missing person is Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck. The ship was stopped as a precautionary measure and returned to the spot where the incident was accepted. The search continues. AIDA Cruises fully cooperates with the authorities and works hard to find the missing person. As soon as further information is available, we will make it available.
Canadian coast guard airplanes and helicopters conducted an intensive search for Küblböck but were unable to locate him in the water.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The BBC now reports the search has been called off “given the short survivability time due to the temperature of the water at this time of year.”
Küblböck’s father told media that he was still clinging “to the hope that somehow still everything will be fine.” Meanwhile, Aida Cruises said on Twitter that “our thoughts with the family of the missing.”
Last month, Küblböck posted a cryptic message to fans on Facebook talking about his struggles with mental illness.
“Dear fans, unfortunately I am still mentally and physically not getting better,” the letter, which has since been deleted read. “I have yet to cope with this pain of the last few months.”
Related: Gay pop singer leaps to his death from cruise ship after posting cryptic message on Facebook
Lacuevaman
yoo-hoo. you think he survived the jump?
Vince
It’s a long drop from the 5th floor. I hope it killed him right away though.
mz.sam
RIP, Bitch…Gurl Bye!!!
stranger2myself
Ypite
RobtheElder
I lament every LGBTQ that dies under circumstances that indicate he was perhaps suffering from a lack of nurture, and the absence of meaningful therapy. Even when their lifestyle isn’t something we’d want to emulate, they don’t deserve to die friendless and alone. Rest in peace, Daniel Kublbock. I’m sorry we failed you… RobtheElder
o.codone
Beautiful sentiment RobtheElder. You have a generous heart.
KevInSD
He was gay. Why are you mentioning transgenderism in regard to his death?
CanadianGuy62
Is it any wonder that many people the world over can’t stand Americans?! You really don’t think much exists beyond your borders, do you?
Pop Idol premiered on 06-OCT-2001; American Idol had its premiere on 11-JUN-2002.
American Idol is a spin-off of Pop Idol…not the other way around.
Vince
Jesus. Such venom for a simple mistake. You have the snooty Canadian attitude that I can’t stand.
Aranos
“Americans are like this”, “Canadians are like that”, blah blah blah, what a lot of bullshit. Shouldn’t we know better, as a community, than nationalism, prejudice and hating?