UMVA has learned that James Bourne, the 42-year-old musician from the British band Busted, appears to have vanished from social media platform Instagram, leaving fans wondering about his sudden disappearance.
The mysterious disappearance comes after Bourne shared a health update with his followers in April, revealing that he needed to undergo a 'major surgery' that would 'extend his life'. Since then, his Instagram account has gone dark, with fans encountering a message stating that the page is no longer available.
When fans try to navigate to his profile, they are met with the words: 'Sorry this page isn’t available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed.' This message usually pops up when Instagram has removed an account or the account holder has deleted their page.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Bourne's representative has declined to comment on the sudden disappearance of his social media account, fueling speculation among fans about the reasons behind his vanishing act.
Bourne's health update in April had come as a shock to fans, who had been concerned about his months-long radio silence. In an Instagram Story, he wrote: 'I have a plan in place to have a major surgery that should extend my life and hopefully make me well enough to come back to what I love the most, which is touring and making music.'
The news of his health issues came as a surprise, especially since Bourne suddenly dropped out of Busted's 2025 tour just 24 hours before their first gig. In a statement, he expressed his disappointment, saying: 'I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows.'
The remaining members of Busted, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson, went on tour without Bourne, with his younger brother Chris stepping in to replace him. Willis has since expressed his desire to tour with Bourne again, stating that it was 'really weird' to perform without him.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Bourne's health issues have had a significant impact on his life and career, with fans eagerly awaiting updates on his condition and potential return to the music scene.
