'Dead or Alive' singer Pete Burns, proto-Goth icon of the '80s, dies

LOS ANGELES -- Pete Burns, the vivacious and androgynous frontman for British pop and New Wave band Dead or Alive, died Sunday from cardiac arrest, his management confirmed Monday. He was 57.

Dead or Alive's biggest hit was also its first -- "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" -- which charted around the world and peaked at No. 11 in the U.S. in 1985. The band, known as much for its proto-Goth style as its music, had a handful of lesser hits including "Brand New Lover" and "Something in My House."

Burns, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in 2006, went through extensive rounds of plastic surgery around that time and significantly altered his appearance, which he talked openly about in interviews and a television special. At one point he won a significant settlement from his surgeon for a lip procedure gone wrong.

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Burns was married to Lynne Corlett in 1980, and the two separated in 2006. A short time later he married Michael Simpson, a union that lasted less than a year.

"He was a true visionary, a beautiful talented soul, and he will be missed by all who loved and appreciated everything he was and all of the wonderful memories the has left us with," his management said in a statement. "All of his family and friends are devastated by the loss of our special star."