Mark Wright pays tribute to tragic former TOWIE star Mick Norcross

Mark Wright and Joey Essex have led the tributes to former TOWIE co-star Mick Norcross after the club owner was found dead at his Essex home on Thursday afternoon, aged 57. 

The Sugar Hut owner and reality star, who rose to fame as the man behind the nightclub on the hit ITV2 series, was discovered at his Bulphan home by emergency services. 

Mark, who appeared on the show until 2011, has since described Mick as the ‘perfect gentlemen’ whenever they crossed paths, while a devastated Joey admitted he treated him ‘like a son.’ 

Appearing on Friday’s edition of Lorraine, Mark said: ‘I don’t want to talk much about it but I do want to send my condolences to the family – [Mick’s son] Kirk must be broken-hearted. 

‘He was a gentleman, a nice guy, always so welcoming at his club.’

Reaching out to those who might be struggling with feelings of loneliness or depression, he added: ‘If you know anyone who is down just talk to them. If you are feeling down talk to a family member or friend.’ 

In a tweet shared with followers shortly after news of Mick’s death broke on Thursday evening, Mark called the businessman an ‘inspiration’ to those who knew him. 

He wrote: ‘RIP Mick N. You were a great man, an inspiration to many, always so polite and welcoming. Such a gent. We lost a good one. 

‘Let this be ANOTHER reason to check in on people and ask if they are ok. It’s imperative we talk. Love to Kirk and the rest of the family… such sad news.’ 

Joey also paid tribute to Mick, admitting the Sugar Hut owner ‘looked out for him’ during their time together on the show. 

He tweeted: ‘In complete shock. I looked up to Micky, you treated me like a son whilst I was on my crazy journey growing up in this industry, you looked after me & made me feel at ease if I had a problem, I’ll always remember that… My heart goes out to your family. I’m gutted, god bless.’

Elsewhere Gemma Collins echoed Mark’s sentiments, adding: ‘ALWAYS A GENTLEMAN. Absolutely shocked and saddened by the news. My thoughts and prayers are going out to Kirk family and friends absolutely tragic #ripmicknorcross 

‘The memories of the early days the sugar hut and the wonderful filming parties you put on will never be forgotten. You never know what someone is going through you was [sic] one of the good guys.’ 

TOWIE veteran James Argent called the property developer: ‘A true gentleman & a very kind man’. James, 33, wrote: ‘RIP Mick. Many amazing memories, So Sad! My thoughts are with his family.’

Mario Falcone, who starred on the show between 2011 to 2018 posted a broken heart emoji, as did Elliott Wright, who appeared on TOWIE between 2010 and 2017. 

Jamie Reed, who had a brief stint on the reality series, chimed: ‘Very sad. RIP’. 

EOTB star Jess Impiazzi, who was one of Mick’s original ‘Sugar Hut Honeys’ – a group of hostesses in the club – typed: ‘Please don’t ever feel like no one is there or wants to listen, you matter! You’re loved!…And the world is better with you in it. There is always light at the end of the tunnel! I promise.’ 

Frankie Essex added: ‘Rest in peace Mick thank you for all the memories and being such a genuine person… you will be sadly missed.’ 

While Charlie King wrote: ‘It’s a really sad evening …… another stark reminder you really don’t know what battles people are struggling to defeat. Pretty gutted tbh ! Sleep well in the knowledge Mick you are a true gentleman.’

TOWIE narrator Denise Van Outen wrote: ‘RIP @micky_norcross such a lovely man. So sad… my thoughts are with his family.’

In a haunting final tweet, posted just hours before his body was found, Mick wrote: ‘At the end remind yourself that you did the best you could. And that is good enough.’

On January 4, son Kirk, 32, shared a selfie on Facebook showing him sitting alongside his grinning father, adding the caption: ‘Me and the big man’, with a heart emoji. 

On Thursday, Mick sent shockwaves around the TV world when news arose of his passing, and while Kirk has so far remained silent, the haunting last picture has emerged. 

As well as pictures with Kirk, Mick’s girlfriend Samantha Keahey shared a number of shots of the couple last year, including sweet images taken last month.

Mick is survived by his sons Kirk, Mason, Daniel and daughter Hollie. He also has three grandchildren.  The star made his TOWIE debut in 2011 during the show’s second season, while son Kirk was part of the original cast. 

The businessman was introduced as the owner of Sugar Hut, a nightclub in Brentwood which w
as a popular filming location for the show. During his time on the show, Mick caught the attention of Gemma Collins, 39, who soon developed a crush on him. 

One of his most notable storylines was when, at a pool party for the second series finale, Gemma was convinced Mick was bringing a bottle of champagne over to her, but was instead snubbed when the Sugar Hut owner walked past her and presented the bubbly to Lauren Goodger’s sister Nicola.

In an episode of the programme from 2011, Mick referenced his mental health in a conversation with Kirk, saying: ‘Maybe there’s bits of my life where I haven’t been there for you so it’s hard for me to see where I’m going wrong…

‘I wasn’t there enough for you growing up but I want you to know I’m here for you now. I want to do the things we didn’t do and still can do. I’m quite a hard person and it’s difficult for me to show my emotions and that’s not me making an excuses and it doesn’t mean I don’t love you and I don’t want you around me…

‘I just put this hard exterior up sometimes. Any time you get upset let’s not end up having a shouting match over it. Talk to me. With women, that’s where I push buttons. Unfortunately in what I do, I am surrounded by women from 20 years of age to 35 years of age.’ 

When Kirk voiced concerns over women taking advantage of Mick, he went on: ‘Really Kirk it’s not your decision, with me you might think I’m having a great time and that but every night I come to this house on my own, I live on my own, it’s empty, it’s nothing.’ 

An Essex Police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We were called to an address in Bulphan shortly before 3.15pm on Thursday 21 January. Sadly, a man inside was pronounced dead. His death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’ 

Mick sold Sugar Hut in 2019, having previously gone on to develop a property portfolio, including The Grand Hotel in Leigh. 

The businessman shelled out £4.3m for the site back in 2011 and dreamed of turning the derelict building into a boutique hotel,restaurant and
spa. 

However, despite extensive renovation, restoration work took longer than planned and the hotel is still yet to open. 

The same year Mick bought the hotel, he put his £3.4million converted farmhouse up for sale. The mansion, which was also a regular filming location during his time, was the envy of TOWIE viewers.

The estate also boasted a private house where Kirk lived with his girlfriend at the time Lauren Pope, a hot tub and plasma screen TVs.  After putting up the house on sale, Mick said, ‘I’ve been here six years and I’ve completely refurbished this place. Now I’m ready to move on to another project.’

Mick made a hefty profit for £2.2million after buying the house in 2005 for £1.2million.   

It is the first tragedy to strike the TOWIE cast since Patricia Brooker, known as Nanny Pat, died aged 80 in 2015.  

Reality TV has been hit with a number of tragic young deaths in recent years, including perhaps most notably, Love Island host Caroline Flack, who took her own life at her north-east London home last February aged 40. 

Before that, the programme was rocked by the death of Mike Thalassitis, who hanged himself in a park after an alcohol and cocaine binge aged just 26, an inquest was told in 2019. 

A decade earlier, there was widespread mourning over the death of Big Brother’s Jade Goody, who died of cervical cancer at 27, after being hailed for her work in raising awareness and encouraging women to get checked.

Reliving the famous scene with Gemma Collins, Mick previously said he regretted reducing the boutique owner to tears in an interview with The Sun that year.

He said at the time: ‘I had no idea that Gemma was so upset. I think someone may have told her I was going to come over to her rather than Nicola. But I never meant to hurt her. I hate the thought of upsetting anyone.’ 

Mick went on to have a brief romance with Maria Fowler, who also starred on the show and was 13 years his junior.   He quit TOWIE in 2013, after being left furious the nightclub was being used a battleground on the show. 

Sugar Hut became known for its high-publicised feuds on the show with huge rows between central characters such as Mark Wright and Lauren Goodger, as well as former on-off couple Chloe Sims and Mark’s cousin Elliott. 

He told The Sun at the time of his departure: ‘My club is an upmarket venue where people come to drink champagne and feel spoiled. All these rows they keep filming don’t show the club in a good light and I’m worried it’s putting people off coming, which is the last thing I want.’

Mick described his time on TOWIE as ‘very demanding’ and ‘what it did to me as a person was quite a strange thing’ as he struggled from being ‘somebody nobody really knows’ to ‘a household name so to speak’.

He said during an interview with Echo News about why he joined TOWIE in 2018 that ‘it was a decision I took just to try to manoeuvre the business – the Sugar Hut – in the right way, I needed it to be portrayed in the right light and being part of the show that was the only way I could do that.’

Mick added: ‘I didn’t want them to just come and ride roughshod over the business and portray it how they wanted, people having fights in the club and what have you. 

‘That would never be right and even the relationship with my son, I needed that to come across right. But it got to the stage where it really wasn’t where I needed to be in life.’