March 24, 2008 10:40

Corinne Bailey Rae's husband found dead

Jason Rae suffered a suspected drug overdose

The husband of British singer Corinne Bailey Rae has been found dead of a suspected drug overdose.

The body of saxophonist Jason Rae, 31, was discovered in a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds on Saturday (March 22), said West Yorkshire Police. Officers found the body of a 31-year-old man there.

"As a result of inquiries a 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs," a police spokesman told the BBC.

"He has now been released on police bail pending further inquiries."

A post-mortem examination was carried out on Rae’s body, but the results were inconclusive and police said they were awaiting toxicology reports.

Rae, a saxophonist in the band The Haggis Horns, had been due to play a gig at the HiFi Club in Leeds on Sunday night. The club confirmed that the gig had been cancelled.

The group had previously performed and recorded with Bailey Rae as well as Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson, and released their debut album last September.

Leeds-born Bailey Rae, 29, met her husband when she worked as a cloakroom attendant in a Leeds jazz club. The pair married in 2001.

Bailey Rae's record label said in a statement: "EMI Records would like to offer its sincere condolences to Corinne Bailey Rae and the Rae family at this tragic time.

"We ask that the media respects Corinne's privacy and that of her entire family."