The man who managed Britpop pioneers SUEDE throughout the 1990s has died following a boating accident in Italy.

Jon Peter Eydmann, who represented the group during their heyday, was on holiday with his family at the country’s picturesque Lake Como, where Hollywood superstar George Clooney owns a villa.

The 41 year old dived from the family’s boat during an outing on the lake on Monday (31Aug09) but fell ill and his worried relatives were unable to pull him out of the water.

Emergency services rescued him, but found him comatose. Medics in a local hospital spent two days caring for him before he passed away on Wednesday (02Sep09).

A spokesman for the British consulate in Milan says, “Something happened when he dived into the water but as yet we don’t know what. It seems to have been a tragic accident but it has left his family devastated and very shocked.”