TWICKENHAM ACTRESS PAYS TRIBUTE TO MUSIC LEGEND HUSBAND
Twickenham-based Coronation Street actress Carol Royle has paid tribute to her husband who died after diving into a freezing outdoor swimming pool at the David Lloyd Leisure centre in Hampton.
Julian Spear – a music industry legend who made stars out of the Boomtown Rats and The Stranglers – had seen steam rising from the pool and assumed it was heated – as it was every other time he had used it over the last four years.
But when he jumped in, the cold temperature triggered a sudden massive brain haemorrhage.
Mr Spear, 74, was able to drive home safely after his swim at David Lloyd’s Hampton branch.
According to media reports he even made himself lunch and had started to put stamps on Xmas cards to be sent to relatives and friends abroad when he started feeling ill and became dizzy.
The PR boss for music company Phonogram collapsed in a downstairs cloakroom and shouted out to his wife for help.
She called an Ambulance and he was rushed to the West Middlesex Hospital from his home in Twickenham, West London on Sunday afternoon.
Ms Royle, 70, second from the left in the image above posted this image of her husband Julian, far right, on Instagram.
She wrote on Facebook: “I’m desperately sorry to post that we lost my wonderful husband, Julian Spear, today, 9th December. Perfectly fit man but jumped into a freezing pool which he assumed was heated as per usual yesterday, and he developed a sudden massive brain haemorrhage – our hearts are aching 💔
Forgive me if I am not on Facebook very much for a while x”
His devastated family today paid tribute to a ‘incredible’ husband and father who jogged three times a week, cycled rather than drove and ate healthy organic food.
Wife Carol said: “We met as teenagers. We went our separate ways for a time, but reunited and were married in 1977 and have been together since then.
“He was the healthiest person you could meet, he ate organic wholefood. He was a keen jogger, he would run every day. He used to cycle to the shops rather than drive and he’d go for a walk after every meal.
“He loved life, unbelievably passionate about music. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of music from 1960s-to present. He loved quiz games because of that, he used to make me bad tempted because he got everything right all the time.
“But he was very humble, he never boasted about the incredible successes he had, like breaking Elvis Costello.
“He worked with artists like Barry White and Cheryl Crow.
“But Julian was such a very grounded man, very humble man. He was never full of himself and had this amazing talent of getting people the press they deserved.
“I think it’s such a pity that he’s not around to hear the eulogies and the tributes.
“I’ll remember so many things about him. And there were so many. But he had such positivity in life and a passion for all he did. he had complete belief in his children.
“His nature was to be a provider. Nothing was ever a problem.
“I don’t know how we are going to deal with Christmas this year. It just won’t be the same.”
A David Lloyd spokesperson said: ‘We are sorry to hear of the passing of Julian Spear who was a member at our Hampton Club.
‘Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends.’