March 6, 1998 12:55

DISGRACED MILLI VANILLI STAR FOUND DEAD

[a]Milli Vanilli[/a] member Rob Pilatus has been found dead...

Milli Vanilli member Rob Pilatus was found dead in a Frankfurt on Thursday (April 2), following what is thought to be a drugs overdose.

Pilatus, 32, was found with blood around his mouth and nose. Police were reported to be unsure whether the former disgraced Milli Vanilli star took his own life or died accidentally.

He had been dead for 18 hours when producer and former Milli Vanilli manager Frank Farian found his body. Pilatus was said to be working on new material and hopeful of a comeback after Milli Vanilli's disastrous fall from grace eight years ago.

The group - New York born Pilatus and fellow German Fabrice Morvan - sold some 14 million album and over 30 million singles in the late 80s, and scored massive worldwide hits with 'Blame It On The Rain' and 'Girl, You Know It's True'. They won the Best New Artist Grammy in 1989, but were stripped of it a year later when it became apparent the pair had been the public front for a group of less-glamorous looking session singers, and had not sung a note on any of their songs.

Pilatus entered a deep depression after the scam was discovered, and tried to kill himself in 1991, slashing his wrists and threatening to jump from a nine-storey hotel window. He also began a long battle with alcohol and drugs and was said to be undergoing the latest in a string of rehab sessions.

Pilatus had also had several brushes with the law. Last year, he was issued with an arrest warrant after failing to appear in a Los Angeles court on forgery and grand theft charges.