Geoffrey Kitchen: British amateur actor dies on Singapore airlines flight

NEW DELHI: The British passenger who died after experiencing a severe turbulence on a flight to Singapore has been named as 73-year-old grandfather Geoffrey Kitchen.
Geoffrey Kitchen, a retired insurance professional and amateur dramatics performer, had flown to Singapore on Monday on the 10pm flight from Heathrow.
According to neighbors who spoke with the Guardian, he and his wife, Linda, were planning to stop over in Singapore en route to Australia, where they intended to enjoy a six-week holiday.
Originally from Bristol, Kitchen had spent most of his life in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, moving into his current semi-detached home in 2012. He leaves behind a son who runs a window cleaning business and a daughter who lives in Wales.
Jill Dimond, a close friend and neighbor, said, “He was a well-loved man. He was clever, funny, a fantastic performer, deeply caring about theatre. It was his passion.”
The Kitchens had been guests at the Dimonds' home in the past week, and the two couples often went for walks in the local area.
In retirement, Kitchen established the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group and performed in a Dick Whittington pantomime last Christmas. The theatre group has two forthcoming productions this year.
He had recently advocated for the reopening of Armstrong Hall in Thornbury, a venue previously used for theatre productions.
In an open letter published last year, Kitchen wrote, “Our community is much poorer for the lack of this facility, and the creative forces that have long existed are in danger of fading away. It is not too late to bring the complex back to life, but this is now extremely urgent.”
Another neighbor in Kitchen's cul-de-sac expressed sorrow over his death. “I knew him as a neighbor; his son cleans my windows. It’s very shocking.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
(With inputs from agencies)