Lil Chris
Rock School singer Lil Chris, here at Nokia Skate Almighty in August 2009, has died at the age of 24 Jon Furniss/Getty

Rock School reality TV star Lil' Chris has died at the age of 24. The singer is reported to have been found at an address in Lowestoft, Suffolk on 23 March.

BBC News reports Suffolk police is not treating the death of the singer, real name Chris Hardman, as suspicious.

According to a spokeswoman, police officers were called to Union Road, Lowestoft, at around 11.45am GMT, after receiving reports that a man had died suddenly.

A post-mortem into Lil' Chris's death is expected to take place soon as the official cause of death is currently unknown.

Tributes from celebrities and fans have flooded in for Lil' Chris on Twitter:

Lil' Chris rose to prominence in 2006 after starring in Channel 4 reality series Rock School, which saw Kiss frontman Gene Simmons search for members to form a new band at Kirkley High School in Lowestoft, which Lil' Chris attended.

After his appearance on the TV show, Lil' Chris signed a deal with RCA Records and released his debut single, Checkin' It Out, in September 2006. The single peaked within the top five on the UK charts and his self-titled debut album was released a few months later.

The entertainer later went on to star in stage production Loserville. Elliot Davis, who directed the musical, has told What's On Stage that Lil' Chris suffered from depression. "When you work with people on shows you become a close family very quickly. He suffered from depression and like many people had struggled to find a way through it," Davis said.

"He was a super-talented guy, so naturally gifted. He just had something that the nation saw and it catapulted him to early fame, which perhaps caused problems."

Anyone who has been affected by this story, please contact Mind at Mind.org.uk or 0300 123 3393. You can also contact Samaritan at Samaritans.org or 08457 90 90 90.