The entertainer David Gest has been found dead in the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Warf, London. He was 62-years-old. 
 
 His death was confirmed by a statement from his friend and former bodyguard, Imad Handi. Mr Handi said: “It is with great sadness that I can confirm that David Gest has died today. 
 
 “David was truly larger than life. He was not just a huge talent and a dear friend but a showbiz icon. 
 
 David Gest: Life in pictures 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25 show all David Gest: Life in pictures 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1/25 2002 Liza Minnelli and husband David Gest pose after serving food during a Thanksgiving meal at the New York City Rescue Mission at the New York City Rescue Mission in New York 
 
 2/25 2002 Producer David Gest and Liza Minnelli, answer questions during a press conference at the House of Blues in West Hollywood 
 
 3/25 2003 David Gest kisses his wife Liza Minnelli as they arrive at the Dorchester Hotel for Gest's 50th birthday party, London 
 
 4/25 2004 David Guest and Freda Payne arrive at the First AME Church for the Funeral of Musician of Ray Charles in Los Angeles 
 
 5/25 2006 Producer David Gest and Dionne Warwick attend a luncheon announcing Gest's new autobiography 'The Gest List' in Beverly Hills 
 
 6/25 2006 David Gest and Dean Gaffney in the 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' TV Programme in Australia 
 
 7/25 2006 David Gest shakes hands with Prince Charles at the Royal Variety Performance at the Coliseum Theatre in London 
 
 8/25 2007 Singer Jason Donovan performs on stage with his guest, Producer David Gest at G-A-Y at the Astoria in London 
 
 9/25 2007 David Gest and his guest arrive at Andy & Patti Wong's Chinese New Year Party at Madame Tussauds in London 
 
 10/25 2007 David Gest holds up a copy of his autobiography 'Simply the Gest' at Waterstones in London 
 
 11/25 2007 Caudwell Children's Charity new ambassadors Sinitta and David Gest pose with Isobella Costello at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London 
 
 12/25 2007 David Gest arrives at The Bedrock Ball at the Natural History Museum to launch the new, national children's charity 'Caudwell Children' in London 
 
 13/25 2007 David Gest and Cleo Rocos arrive at the Loaded LAFTAS with Nivea for Men 2007 at Le Pigalle in London 
 
 14/25 2007 David Gest and Cleo Rocos at the Loaded LAFTAS with Nivea for Men 2007 at Le Pigalle in London 
 
 15/25 2007 David Gest and singer and reality tv personality Matt Willis attend the Loaded LAFTAS with Nivea for Men Awards 2007 ceremony at Le Pigalle in LondonImages) 
 
 16/25 2007 David Gest poses with his Entertainment Collection prior to it's auction at Bonhams in Knightsbridge, London PA 
 
 17/25 2009 TV star and music producer David Gest 
 
 18/25 2009 David Gest performs a mock Baptism on Kerry Katona during a performance of 'David Gest - My Life' at the O2 Arena in London 
 
 19/25 2011 L-R) David Gest, Sir Cliff Richard and Lamont Dozier attend a press conference to announce details of Cliff Richard's new album at Gilgamesh in London 
 
 20/25 2011 David Guest and Martha Reeves attends the world premiere of 'Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon' at The Empire Cinema in London 
 
 21/25 2011 (L-R) Tito Jackson, Rebbie Jackson and David Gest arrives at the afterparty of 'Michael Jackson: The Life Of An Icon' at the Connaught Rooms in London 
 
 22/25 2012 David Gest on 'Let's Do Christmas Lunch with Gino and Mel' TV Programme 
 
 23/25 2016 David Gest enters the Celebrity Big Brother House at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, UK 
 
 24/25 2016 David Gest, Saira Khan and Linda Robson on the 'Loose Women' TV show 26 Jan 2016 
 
 25/25 2016 David Gest and John Partridge comfort Angie Bowie after being told her ex-husband David has passed away, in the 'Celebrity Big Brother' TV show 
 
 “I know he will be missed by millions of fans around the world, and particularly in Britain, who came to love his charm and blistering one-liners. 
 
 “If I may steal the words of one eminent critic, David was a natural star and a genuine celebrity. I will miss him desperately.” 
 
 The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “Police were called at 10.17am on 12 April to the Four Seasons hotel, in Westferry Circus, to reports of an unexplained death of a man in his 60s. London Ambulance Service were called to the scene. Life was pronounced extinct at the hotel. 
 
 "A post-mortem will be held in due course. Next of kin are in the process of being informed." 
 
 The producer and TV personality sparked concerns for his health in the Celebrity Big Brother house in January when he was placed into a separate room to rest after becoming unwell. He then had to leave the house after just 13 days due to unspecified medical reasons. Gest was also the fourth runner-up in the 2006 series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!, where he proved to be a popular contestant. 
 
 News of his death was met with an outpouring of grief from his friends and fellow Big Brother housemates. 
 
 Born in Los Angeles and raised in southern California, he was close friends with Michael Jackson as a child and had a relationship with Latoya Jackson as a teenager. Gest produced a documentary about Jackson starring himself, The Life of an Icon, after his friend's death in 2011. He also produced Lisa’s Back, Lisa Minnelli’s Broadway comeback, as well as the American Cinema Awards for 14 years. 
 
 Gest launched his career in entertainment aged 17 when he was hired by London Records as a West Coast Publicity Director after pretending to be 21. 
 
 “I looked that age because by then I had a beard, moustache and an afro down to my tush,” he told the Yorkshire Post in 2014. “They hired me as West Coast publicity director and the next year I became national public relations director in New York. I was handling the careers of people like Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck, ZZ Top and Al Green. 
 
 “About a year later Al Green said he didn’t have a manager and needed someone to look after him so I opened my own PR and management firm and as well as managing Al I took on the Doobie Brothers and Burt Bacharach.” 
 
 He was due to begin a UK tour entitled David Gest is Not Dead, But Alive With Soul, in July. 
 
 Gest married Minnelli in 2002, although they separated in 2003. 

 Image copyright AP Image caption Gest produced the highest-rated musical special in US TV history: Michael Jackson's 30th Anniversary Celebration 
 
 Entertainer, producer and reality television star David Gest has died in a London hotel aged 62, a statement from his friend says. 
 
 Gest, who is a former husband of singer Liza Minnelli, died at the Four Seasons hotel in Canary Wharf. 
 
 His friend and ex-bodyguard Imad Handi confirmed the news in a statement. 
 
 American Gest was best known in the UK for his appearances on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and Celebrity Big Brother. 
 
 Showbiz world pays tribute to Gest 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption David Gest and Liza Minnelli divorced in 2007 
 
 He had planned to tour the UK in July with his latest show, called the David Gest Is Not Dead But Alive With Soul Tour! 
 
 Several singers were due to appear on the tour, including Dina Carroll and Freda Payne. 
 
 It was named after the mix-up on this year's Celebrity Big Brother, when Angie Bowie informed Tiffany Pollard that David - meaning her ex-husband Bowie - had died during their time on the reality show. Pollard broke down in tears believing Gest, who was ill in bed at the time, had died. 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Archive interview with David Gest about his tour 
 
 Gest stayed in the Celebrity Big Brother house for 13 days but left the series on medical grounds. 
 
 In 2007 he was admitted to hospital with chest pains and respiratory problems. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Sir Cliff Richard and David Gest worked together on Sir Cliff's 2011 Soulicious album 
 
 One of the biggest successes during his career was producing the highest-rated special in US music history - 2001's Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration. 
 
 He was perhaps best known for his marriage to Minnelli. They were married in 2002 and officially divorced in 2007. He was also a childhood friend of Jackson and his brother Tito. 
 
 Gest's name-dropping anecdotes and raucous tales of showbiz friendships during his appearances on reality TV shows won him legions of fans in the UK. 
 
 He finished fourth in ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here in 2006, and later became a judge on talent show Grease Is The Word. 
 
 In 2011, Sir Cliff Richard worked with Gest on his album Soulicious. 
 
 Gest helped develop the concept of the album, which saw Sir Cliff collaborate with soul singers including Roberta Flack and Candi Staton. He later produced and directed the Soulicious tour. 
 
 Image copyright PA Image caption Gest appeared on Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year 
 
 Mr Handi, who confirmed the news of Gest's death, described him as a "huge talent". 
 
 "David was truly larger than life. He was not just a huge talent and a dear friend but a showbiz icon. 
 
 "I know he will be missed by millions of fans around the world, and particularly in Britain, who came to love his charm and blistering one-liners." 
 
 A Metropolitan Police statement said: "Police were called at 10:17 on Tuesday 12 April to the Four Seasons hotel, in Westferry Circus to reports of an unexplained death of a man in his 60s. 
 
 "London Ambulance Service were called to the scene. Life was pronounced extinct at the hotel. A post-mortem will be held in due course. Next of kin are in the process of being informed." 
 
 Police have said there appear to be no suspicious circumstances. 
 
 'I'm down to earth' 
 
 Gest was born on May 11 1953 in Los Angeles, California. He worked as a music video and television producer and last year he toured the UK with David Gest's (I've Had) The Time Of My Life Tour - which played 14 cities. 
 
 York is my home and the most beautiful place in the world David Gest 
 
 He released an autobiography, titled Simply The Gest, in 2007. 
 
 Last month, Gest told the Hull Daily Mail: "I don't live the showbusiness world in my private life. 
 
 "I don't go to many openings, or many premieres - that's not what I'm about, I did that more when I was younger." 
 
 Gest's appearance often hit the headlines, and he said having cosmetic surgery was his "biggest regret". 
 
 For the last few years of his life Gest lived in York - shying away from his former lifestyle in LA. 
 
 He told the Yorkshire Post in 2014: "It's my home and the most beautiful place in the world. You look at the Minster, the cobblestone streets, the history with the Vikings and the River Ouse running through. 
 
 "It also has the York Hog Roast. People come by and see me eating there and I tell them I'm having my turkey and my Yorkshire pudding, my stuffing, my crackling, my vegetables and my gravy and I'm loving every minute of it." 
 
 Despite his celebrity credentials, Gest prided himself on being a man of the people, telling the newspaper: "I don't look at celebrity the way others look at it. 
 
 "I'm down to earth. People come up to me in the streets in York and I talk with everybody. I don't believe there's really a difference between any of us." 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Gest and Minnelli married at the St Regis hotel in 2002, but separated a year later 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The wedding was attended by Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson, who was the best man 
 
 Gest married actress and singer Judy Garland's daughter Minnelli in 2002 in a star-studded wedding at New York's St Regis hotel. 
 
 The couple's 300 guests included Michael Jackson, Dame Joan Collins and Martine McCutcheon. 
 
 Jackson was the best man at the ceremony, arriving with matron of honour Elizabeth Taylor and Diana Ross. 
 
 His brothers Tito, Marlon, Randy and Jackie were among the groomsmen. 
 
 McCutcheon, together with actresses Mia Farrow and Janet Leigh and singer Petula Clark, was a bridesmaid at the ceremony. 
 
 Gest and Minnelli announced their separation a year later and divorced in 2007 when their lawyers filed court papers saying they had settled their differences and agreed to get divorced without fault.
– Entertainer David Gest, who was briefly married to Liza Minnelli in 2002 and 2003, was found dead in a London hotel Tuesday morning, the Independent reports. A friend of the 62-year-old confirms the news, and the Metropolitan Police say in a statement that they were called to the scene of an "unexplained death" and that "life was pronounced extinct at the hotel." Gest, the Independent notes, was forced to leave the Celebrity Big Brother house in January after just 13 days because of medical reasons. His death does not appear suspicious, the BBC reports.