Child Star And Ballet Dancer Jack Burns Dies Suddenly At Age 14
Dec. 11 2019, Published 5:22 p.m. ET
Child star and ballet dance Jack Burns has died unexpectedly at age 14, RadarOnline.com has confirmed.
Burns, who appeared on the TV shows In Plain Sight and Retribution, passed away last week at the Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland home he shared with his parents.
Scotland Police exclusively told RadarOnline.com in a statement, "Around 3.30 pm on Sunday 1 December 2019, police were called following the death of a 14-year-old boy within a house on the Esplanade in Greenock. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the exact cause of his death which police are not treating as suspicious. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal."
Show business was a family affair as Burns' brother Rory, who survives him along with parents Karen, 46, and father Robert, 47, appeared on the hit Starz TV show Outlander.
Burns was known for his incredible ballet dancing skills that caused him to be dubbed "the next Billy Elliot."
He was a member of the Elite Academy of Dance. Burns earned a spot at the prestigious Glasgow Ballet School when he was just 9 years old. The Academy confirmed his death in a statement on Monday.
"It is with a very heavy heart that we write this post. Tragically as you know we lost our much loved student Jack Burns on Sunday 1st of December," Elite Academy wrote on Facebook. "Jack was an inspiration to everyone at Elite and touched the hearts of everyone who had the pleasure of working and dancing with him since 2012. We and all of Jacks family and friends are naturally completely devastated and at a loss for words and answers.”
He also worked as a model, fronting campaigns for global brands through his contracts with The Model Team in Glasgow.
Fans paid tribute to the up and coming child star on social media.
"We were so devastated to hear this news about Jack. He was such a talented boy in all areas of his life and such a lovely handsome boy," one person wrote.
"So loved and missed!" another added.
"A tragic loss of a beautiful and talented boy. Our warmest condolences to his family. Rest in peace," another fan noted.
"Sad to hear of the loss of this talented young man. Thoughts and prayers are with all his family and friends at this difficult time. May he rest in peace," someone else shared online.
Burns attended St Columba's School in Kilmacolm.
A public funeral service will take place on Thursday at St. Mary's Church in Greenock.
Father Thomas Boyle, priest of St Mary's Church, told The Daily Mail, "This is a tragedy for the family which is inexplicable."