Both too young, too sweet, and too kind
CITY’S SOCIAL SCENE IN SHOCK AT ITS SECOND LOSS IN TWO WEEKS
Reporter NEWCASTLE’S social scene has been rocked by two gut-wrenching tragedies in two weeks.
The death of Sophie Gradon at just 32 comes just 18 days after Paul ‘Mr Newcastle’ Burns was found dead on June 2, aged 37.
Sophie, a former Love Island star and Miss Newcastle, was a friend of Paul, who managed The Botanist and was a key figure in the rejuvenation of the city’s nightlife.
Both were well-known faces on the city’s social scene, mixing with celebs and supplying the life and soul to whichever party they were at.
The pair shared a large circle of friends, amplifying the devastation their untimely deaths have caused throughout Newcastle.
It includes members of the Geordie Shore cast and the characters who run the city’s most popular nightclubs.
As Christiano Crawford, the director of the Tup Tup Palace nightclub put it, “Newcastle has lost its Queen and so soon after its King”.
He described Sophie as “one of the most intelligent, beautiful charismatic souls I’ve ever met”.
Friends rallied round on June 15 as they bid farewell to Paul, congregating at the bar he ran to listen to heartfelt tributes to their absent brother. Sophie opened up about his death, writing on Facebook: “Thank you for being there when you recognised I needed someone, you are a true saint. “I only wish I had got to know you better. All my love and thoughts with your nearest and dearest.” Those who knew both are now battling their second heartbreak in less than three weeks. Katie Salmon, who knew Sophie from Love Island poured her heart out on social media, writing: “Too young, too sweet, too kind.” For many across Newcastle, those words will make them think of Paul too.