Kate Bush has been left ‘heartbroken’ by the death of her close friend, antiques dealer Matthew Upham, who went missing during a swim off the Devon coast on Christmas Day.
The ‘Running Up That Hill’ singer made a touching tribute to her friend of thirty years in a post to her website on the 28th of December.
“As you might have heard on the news, Matthew Upham was one of the swimmers who went missing in the sea in Devon on Christmas Day. Matthew was one of my very dearest friends. I’d known him for thirty years,” she began.
“He was one of those people who touched everyone he met. He was extraordinarily kind, thoughtful and lived life to the full. He was also a great deal of fun,” she continued.
Matthew was one of two men to go missing during a holiday swim in the turbulent waters at Budleigh Salterton, a town in East Devon. Emergency services were called to the beach at 10:25am, after concerns were raised about swimmers in the particularly rough surf conditions.
Coastguard lifeboats, helicopters and aircraft were sent to the scene as part of an extensive shoreline and offshore search, which was eventually called off at 5pm.
© Getty ImagesNo official weather warnings were in place, although on Christmas Eve some organisers for Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall postponed or cancelled events due to strong winds.
However, as local resident Julia Robb told the BBC, even though the sea was “rougher than I’ve seen it” with waves reaching 6ft, “there were a lot of people on the beach and quite a few going in… the waves broke over them but everyone was very jolly, getting knocked down and getting back up again”
She said further on the tragic outcome of the day: “It is just such a sad sad thing to happen on Christmas Day. You just feel for the families.”
In her message, Kate Bush lovingly described her friend as “a very strong swimmer. He had a great love for kayaking. He understood that the sea should be respected. It’s so tragic he lost his life this way”. She wrote that Matthew’s family are “heartbroken and along with many of his friends, so am I.”
© TV Times via Getty ImagesDays earlier, the singer shared a ‘Christmas Message’ on her website where she poignantly expressed her own experiences of grieving loved ones during the holiday period. She reflected on childhood Christmases, which she called “special and magical”, and revealed the emotional experience of listening to her parents’ voices on an old song of hers, saying: “I love to hear their voices. It makes it feel like they’re still with us.”
Matthew Upham Antiques had operated in London for forty years before relocating to the seaside town’s High Street.
According to the business’ website, the store offers “a captivating assortment of Chandeliers from across Europe” which “beautifully complement our collection of 18th-century furniture.”
The website goes on to refer to Matthew as a proud proprietor, who is “committed to upholding the legacy of quality and expertise that has been synonymous with the Upham names for generations”.
© ZIK Images/United Archives via GDetective Superintendent Hayley Costar of Devon and Cornwall Police issued a statement on Wednesday evening which said: “Today, emergency services have been responding to a truly tragic incident in Budleigh Salterton.”
“Our thoughts remain firmly with the families and friends of the two men who are currently missing and to all who may have witnessed and be impacted by the incident,” she continued, before urging all to reconsider any plans to swim in the following days.
Kate concluded her post to Matthew with the moving words: “The world has lost someone incredibly special. Thank you Matthew, for being one of the best friends anyone could have.”
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