Popstar Daniel Kueblboeck gone missing after jumping overboard from cruise ship
The singer found fame on the German spin-off series of 'Pop Idol' back in 2002
By Steve Brown
German popstar Daniel Kueblboeck has disappeared after witnesses claim they saw him jump from a cruise ship.
The singer – who found fame on the 2002 series of the German spin-off of Pop Idol – came out as gay in 2010 and was onboard the AIDAluna cruise travelling from Hamburg to Canada when he disappeared, German paper Bild reported.
Witnesses said they saw him jump from the fifth deck of the ship when they were near the coast of Canada and Newfoundland coast guard have now launched a search for the singer.
Daniel raised concerns about his mental health a few weeks before his disappearance on a Facebook post where he revealed he doesn’t feel “mentally and physically” better.
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.”
His father, Gunter, said: “I cling now only to the hope that somehow still everything will be fine.”
Daniel has appeared on other reality shows including Let’s Dance and is known for his songs ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘Teenage Years’.
AIDA Cruises confirmed a passenger had gone overboard in a number of tweets saying: “Currently, an intensive search is taking place in the sea area off the Canadian coast in close cooperation with the Coast Guard for a missing person.
“The cruise ship AIDAluna was on the sea route to Newfoundland when a person jumped overboard in the early hours of September 9 2018.
“The captain and crew of AIDAluna have immediately taken all necessary rescue measures, in close coordination with the local competent authorities.
“A cabin check was performed, which confirmed that a male guest was missing.
“The missing person is Daniel Kaiser-Küblböck. The ship was stopped as a precautionary measure and returned to the spot where the incident was accepted. The search continues.
“AIDA Cruises fully cooperates with the authorities and works hard to find the missing person. As soon as further information is available, we will make it available.”