A tour of Britain arranged by the late entertainer David Gest before his death is to go ahead as planned, it has been confirmed.

The entertainer and producer died in his hotel room in Canary Wharf in London on April 12th, at the age of 62. His funeral was being held today in London, and the tour that he had arranged to take place in the summer was confirmed as going as scheduled.

Guest performers on the dates, which run from the 1st to the 13th of July, include Dina Carroll, Melba Moore, Russell Thompkins Jr and Peabo Bryson, with ‘Band of Gold’ singer Freda Payne acting as compere for the shows.

David GestThe late David Gest's 'Alive With Soul' variety tour is to go ahead as planned

The tour’s title, ‘David Gest is Not Dead But Alive with Soul’, was named after the famous mix-up on this year’s ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ that triggered a massive fight in the reality TV house.

More: Producer and entertainer David Gest found dead at London hotel, aged 62

Angie Bowie had informed fellow participant Tiffany Pollard that “David’s dead” – which Pollard took to mean Gest, who was ill in bed at the time, rather than Angie’s rock star ex-husband David Bowie – which led to a huge argument. Gest himself soon left the house, citing the house's air conditioning systems as the cause of respiratory problems he was suffering.

Gest’s friend and former bodyguard, Imad Handi, said the title would remain the same as it would appeal to David’s “mischievous sense of humour”. He also said the nine dates would be an opportunity for fans to pay their last respects and remember the entertainer’s life.

“Just like myself, all the artists were devastated when they learned David had died,” he said. “Over the years they had become like a family together due to their close working relationship and the musicians were determined to go ahead with the tour to remember David with their music.”

More: David Gest departs ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house for “medical reasons” [archive]