Ex-Sugar Hut boss Mick Norcross, 57, was found hanged in basement

TOWIE star Mick Norcross was found hanged in the basement of his Essex mansion, an inquest heard today, as his heartbroken son Kirk shared a poignant picture of him hugging his dad.

The popular television personality and former owner of The Sugar Hut nightclub in Brentwood was discovered in his gated home in Bulphan, near Upminster, Essex on January 21.

The 57-year-old posted a heartbreaking tweet just hours before he died, hinting at his despair, and declaring: ‘At the end remind yourself that you did the best you could. And that is good enough.’

His close-knit family including his son Kirk, who also made his name in TOWIE and is believed to have lived with his father, have been devastated by the shock death. It is not known who found him. 

Ahead of the inquest opened in Chelmsford this morning, his son Kirk changed his Facebook profile to an image of his embracing his late father.

The short hearing heard how Mick was found dead at the luxury home he’d built in Bulphan, Essex.

Sarah Lee, Assistant coroner’s officer for Essex, said: ‘He was 57 years of age and passed away on the 21st of January, 2021 at Upminster, Essex. Mr Norcross was found hanging in the basement.’

TOWIE’s Mick Norcross was seen beaming next to his son Kirk in his final picture, taken three weeks before he was been found dead aged 57. An inquest heard today he hanged himself

Kirk Norcross shared a picture of himself hugging his late father Mick as his inquest opened in Chelmsford 

Tragic: His last tweet, posted hours before he died, read: ‘At the end remind yourself that you did the best you could. And that is good enough’

Heartbreaking: Mick is pictured with his girlfriend Samantha Keahey, who were last seen together just before Christmas

She said police and paramedics attended and his death was confirmed as non suspicious.

A post mortem carried out last week at Basildon Hospital showed the cause of death to be ‘suspension by ligature’.

Full toxicology reports have taken place but no details of the results were heard today.

Assistant Coroner Michelle Brown revealed a detailed letter from a family member had been sent following the tragedy and that will now form part of the full inquest later this year.

She said: ‘We are still waiting for the toxicology and post mortem reports, also I understand that mobile phone downloads and iPads are being looked into by the police.

‘We also have a very detailed letter from a family member that we have made a request to see if there is anything additional in the live letter.’

Mick Norcross was found dead in his Essex mansion (pictured) where his son Kirk is also understood to live. A woman left flowers there after his death

Flowers were also left at the Sugar Hut nightclub in Brentwood, Essex, after the death of businessman known as Micky to friend. He owned it until 2019

Mick had sold the Sugar Hut nightclub in 2019 and concentrated on his property businesses. Before his death he was developing the famous Grand Hotel in Leigh-on-Sea into 18 luxury flats (pictured) but is said to have owed £5.2m in loans with the project already £1m over budget

Mick was also building five luxury houses in Bulphan, called the Bonham Grange Estate (pictured), close to his home. But it is said to have had drainage problems and Mick was looking at making £1.5million less than expected, an insider told MailOnline

The inquest, carried out virtually to due Covid restrictions, was adjourned to July to allow investigations to be completed by the coroner’s office.

Mr Norcross was seen ‘looking pale’ and ‘didn’t look too well’ just hours before his death, neighbours told MailOnline on the day after he died. 

Essex Police did not confirm the cause of Mick’s death, or if it was suicide, but said it was not being treated as suspicious. But fellow TOWIE stars and friends have suggested he was battling depression and suicidal thoughts. 

Mr Norcross was introduced to Towie as the owner of the Sugar Hut nightclub, scene of many of the programme’s famous arguments between cast members.

He left the show in 2013, saying the venue’s prominent place in the show had damaged its brand.

Mick had sold the Sugar Hut nightclub in 2019 and concentrated on his property businesses. Before his death he was developing the famous Grand Hotel in Leigh-on-Sea near Southend into 18 luxury flats, which remains unfinished.

He was also building five luxury houses in Bulphan, called the Bonham Grange Estate, where the asking price for a five-bedroom property is £1.75million. 

But some of the properties have been on the market since November 2019 and remain unsold. Mick lived in a mansion in the same village, which he designed and built himself.  He also had an antiques shop in nearby Brentwood.

Sources close to the late building developer told MailOnline Mick was set to make £5million on the Bonham Grange project but due to drainage issues and the financial cost of repairing damage, his payout was expected to be slashed to £3.5million. It is believed the financial hit was the latest in a long line of money issues Mick had suffered over the past two years, made worse by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The friend said: ‘Mick was struggling. A few of his businesses had become problematic financially and they were seriously worrying him. He was hoping to receive £5million from the Bonham Grange estate which would have provided a timely boost, but drainage issues and the subsequent effect on the development saw his big pay-day slashed by around 1.5million. It was a huge blow to him.’