British singer kills self at Belgian rock festival

The lead singer of the British electro-pop group Ou Est Le Swimming Pool committed suicide after performing at a rock festival in Belgium, organisers said yesterday.

Charles Haddon killed himself last Friday after his three-piece band played at the dance hall of the Pukkelpop festival near the Flemish town of Hasselt, festival organiser Chokri Mahassine told journalists. “Charles Haddon, the singer of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, decided to put an end to his life,” Mahassine said.

Belgian media said Haddon jumped off a pillar, falling to his death on the artists’ parking lot.

Hasselt crown prosecutor Marc Rubens said police concluded that Haddon was alone when the incident took place.

The three-day festival, which ended yesterday, included big name bands such as Placebo, Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stone Age and The Prodigy.