Former Matthew Bourne lead dancer took his own life
A DANCER who performed on Broadway and in the West End was found dead alongside a light-up picture frame displaying the message “thank you and goodbye”.
Neil Penlington, 47, was the leading dancer with New Adventures, Matthew Bourne’s company, performing at Sadler’s Wells.
He danced as an original cast member in a West End production of Swan Lake in London in 1996 and toured the US, performing in Los Angeles and Broadway, in 1997 and 1998.
Later on he worked as a personal assistant to designer Jasper Conran and at London’s exclusive Claridge’s Hotel, where he looked after some of the world’s most famous celebrities.
But coroner Xavier Mooyaart told Southwark Coroner’s Court how the highs of his career were met with the lows of suicide attempts and homelessness. Penlington would become “withdrawn” and even end up sleeping rough “despite offers of help” from family and friends, the court heard.
During a period of homelessness Penlington was helped by homeless charity St Mungo’s and later went on to work for the organisation full-time as a housing support adviser.
From 2017 he continued performing with the Young Vic’s Neighbourhood Theatre Company in London.
On December 11, after a call from a concerned friend, police visited his home in the gated Monarch Mews development in Norwood, south-west London, where they found him dead, the court heard.
Mr Mooyaart said: “In the last couple of years he had suffered a period of homelessness but subsequent to that he had started to work for St Mungo’s before withdrawing again.
“Police visited his home in the early hours of December 11, having been asked to carry out a welfare check on December 10. When entering his property they found him to be deceased.
“They note that he was cold to the touch and that they looked around the property and found a light-up picture frame that had the words ‘thank you and goodbye’ set out.”
After reviewing the evidence, he formally declared the death a suicide.