Prime Minister David Cameron has said he is “devastated” by the death of Christopher Shale, whose body was discovered in a portable toilet in the VIP backstage area of Glastonbury in the early hours of this morning (June 26).
Shale was chairman of West Oxfordshire Conservative Association, where Cameron is MP for Witney, and was a friend of the Prime Minister and his wife Samantha.
He said in a statement: “A big rock in my life has suddenly been rolled away. Christopher was one of the most truly generous people I’ve ever met – he was always giving to others, his time, his help, his enthusiasm and above all his love of life.
“It was in that spirit that he made a massive contribution to the Conservative Party both locally and nationally. Our love and prayers are with Nikki [Shale‘s wife] and the family. They have lost an amazing dad, West Oxfordshire has lost a big and wonderful man and, like so many others, Sam and I have lost a close and valued friend.”
Shale‘s death, which led to police cordoning off areas of the VIP hospitality area this morning, has been described as a “suicide situation” by Glastonbury boss Michael Eavis.
Eavis also said earlier today that Shale‘s death was “very, very sad”.
Today is the final day of this year’s Glastonbury festival. Beyonce is scheduled to head up the Pyramid Stage this evening as the final headliner.
NME.COM is coming live from Glastonbury 2011 this weekend – stay tuned to NME.COM/festivals/glastonbury for news reports, reviews and photos from . Then head back from Monday for backstage video interviews.
