Kevin McGee found hanged

Matt Lucas has pulled out of his West End play following the suicide of his former civil partner on Monday

Kevin McGee, 32, was found hanged in his Edinburgh flat after leaving a suicidal message on Facebook.

The 32-year-old posted a status update in the early hours of saying: ‘Kevin McGee thinks that death is much better than life.’

Three hours later, police broke into his flat and found him dead. A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said that there were no suspicious circumstances.

Grieving Lucas, 35, has left his role in the West End play Prick Up Your Ears indefinitely, producers said.

In the show, the Little Britain star plays Kenneth Halliwell, who killed himself after murdering his lover Joe Orton, the playwright.

Lucas's part will now be played by understudy Michael Chadwick

The comic has been ‘utterly destroyed’ by McGee's death, according to The Sun.

The pair met in 2002 and married in 2006 in a high-profile civil partnership, but split up in September last year. McGee’s cocaine use – for which he underwent several spells in rehab – was said to be a factor.

A neighbour of McGee’s told reporters his death came as a shock, saying: ‘He seemed a nice guy with no signs of obvious problems. He never mentioned Matt Lucas.’

Published: 6 Oct 2009