Daniel Küblböck in the artwork for his song Angel | Photo: Angel
German pop star Daniel Küblböck has disappeared after going overboard on a cruise ship, after posting a concerning status about bullying on his Facebook account.
He was vacationing on the AIDAluna, traveling from Hamburg to Canada, when he disappeared, reports German tabloid Das Bild.
Eyewitnesses told the publication they saw him hurl himself from the fifth deck of the the ship near the coast of Canada on Sunday.
The Newfoundland coast guard has launched a search for Daniel.
The star found fame on the 2002 series of Deutschland sucht den Superstar (DSDS), a spin-off of the British-originating Pop Idol.
It was reported in 2003 that he was bisexual. Other reports from 2010 claim the star was gay. He turned 33 on 27 August.
A press contact for Daniel has been approached for comment.
‘I still do not feel better mentally and physically’
Writing on his Facebook fan page a few weeks ago, Daniel raised concerns about his mental state.
He wrote: ‘Dear fans. Unfortunately, I still do not feel better mentally and physically. I have yet to cope with this pain of the past months.’
He furthermore opened up about the ‘months of bullying’ he endured as a child, saying the experience ‘shook my soul’, reports The Sun.
‘I cling now only to the hope that somehow still everything will be fine’
Daniel’s father Gunter told Das Bild: ‘I cling now only to the hope that somehow still everything will be fine.’
AIDA Cruises supplied a statement to Gay Star news saying: ‘The search in the Labrador Sea area off the Canadian coast for a missing person continues. Two ships from the Canadian Coast Guard, which are specially equipped for rescue operations, had arrived on site in the course of the afternoon (local time) and have taken over the coordination of the search, in which a helicopter and a reconnaissance aircraft as well as AIDAluna and another cruise ship, the MS Zuiderdam, were involved. The search has so far been unsuccessful.
‘After dark, the cruise ships were released from the search operation by the Canadian Coast Guard. AIDAluna is now on her way to Halifax.
‘The AIDA Cares team is already in contact with the family to provide all required support. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.’
They finally added: ‘AIDA Cruises fully cooperates with the authorities. The company has offered the authorities full cooperation for the ongoing investigation.’
Daniel is known for songs such as Heartbeat and Teenage Years. He also appeared on reality shows such as Let’s Dance and I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here.
In the video for his 2014 song Be a Man, the singer follows a woman to a beach, and at the end of it is revealed the women is Daniel.
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