Youngest Apprentice finalist dies days af ter 27th birthday
Body of ‘Baggs The Brand’ is found at his home
A FORMER Apprentice star who shot to fame as the youngest-ever contestant on the BBC show has been found dead, just days after admitting he worked ‘at least 18 hours a day’.
Stuart Baggs, 27, who was known for his nickname ‘Baggs The Brand’, was discovered by a friend at his apartment on the Isle of Man at around 9am yesterday.
Police said that while his death was ‘sudden and unexpected’, there was nothing to indicate that it was ‘criminally suspicious’.
Mr Baggs – who celebrated his birth-
‘Working at least 18 hours a day’
day only last week – was just 21 when he appeared on Lord Alan Sugar’s The Apprentice in 2010. The businessman’s death comes days after he launched his latest venture, a hi-tech broadband service, which he said he had been working on for 18 hours a day – and sleeping just four hours a night.
Colleagues of Mr Baggs, who founded telecommunications company BlueWave Communications in 2007, yesterday expressed their disbelief at the ‘devastating news’, saying he appeared in good health the night before he died.
One co-worker said they had seen him at a local Tesco at 9pm on Wednesday, while another had spoken to him on the phone at 11pm. He has also been out drinking with friends on Tuesday evening.
Mr Baggs’ sister Charlotte, 30, last night released a heartfelt tribute, saying: ‘ Today my dearest brother Stuart Baggs gained his wings. To say we are all shocked and devastated is an understatement. Love him or hate him, he touched many people’s lives from his TV antics to his amazing work with BlueWave Communications.
‘This week he unveiled plans that would have revolutionised the industry, now our world has been shattered apart.
‘He was the biggest character and will leave the biggest hole behind. Not knowing what or why makes i t all the harder. Can’t explain how proud I am of him. He was the king of f ollowing his dreams and making them happen.
‘I love you so much! Rest in peace baby brother.’ It was during his appearance on the sixth series of The Apprentice t hat t he Plymouth-born entrepreneur, who also appeared on Channel 4’ s Come Dine With Me, became well known for boasting about his ability to succeed.
The semi-finalist styled himself as ‘Stuart Baggs – the brand’ and quickly became known for claims such as ‘Everything I touch turns to sold’ and ‘ I’m not a one-trick pony, I’m not a ten-trick pony, I’ve got a whole field of ponies’.
Lord Sugar tweeted last night: ‘Terrible news Stuart Baggs has died. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. RIP one of the stand- out characters of The Apprentice.’ It was on Tuesday that Mr Baggs unveiled his latest product – a 4G broadband network. He had given an interview to a local Isle of Man newspaper the previous week in which he described how he had been working 18 hours a day to make a success of it.
Mr Baggs told IOM Today: ‘I work, as my hair will tell you, at least 18 hours a day. I sleep for four hours religiously, I would not have it any other way.’
Last night a spokesman for the Isle of Man police said: ‘ We can confirm that there was nothing in his room or anything about his condition that indicates to us any cause of death. Our thoughts go to his family and friends at this difficult time.’
Inspector Michelle McKillop added: ‘We have examined the body and the area, the location, and there is nothing suspicious at the minute that we can tell has caused his death.
‘It looks to us at the minute that it is a sudden unexplained death with no criminal element to it at all.
‘Obviously the cause of death will have to be confirmed by the pathologist and the coroner so until that time we can’t comment further on why he died or how he died.’