Geoffrey Kitchen: ‘Popular and kind’ musical theatre director died on Singapore Airlines flight on ‘last big holiday’ with wife

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A much-loved musical theatre director died on a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence while his family said he was on his “last big holiday” with his wife. Singapore Airlines said the flight encountered “sudden extreme turbulence” over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure and the pilot declared a medical emergency, with flight tracking data showing the plane plummeted 6,000 feet in minutes. The Thornbury Musical Theatre Group, where Kitchen devoted much of his time having worked there for 35 years and been its director since 2020, praised him as a “gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity”. Singapore Airlines says the flight encountered sudden extreme turbulence’ over Myanmar’s Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet Asked how he’d remember his first cousin, Stephen said: “With fond memories, he is musical, I’m musical so we are musicals orientated but I know he was very popular in the Thornbury musical group, just a lovely guy.” Only last week, Kitchen, who was a retired insurance professional, had been helping preparations for the group’s upcoming show, Journey Back To The Future, which neighbour and co-member Steve Dimond said would now be dedicated to him.