Adamson died with 'high alcohol level'

Adamson: Memorial service to be held at the weekend

Late rock star Stuart Adamson had a high blood-alcohol level in his system when he committed suicide in Hawaii in December.

An autopsy has shown that the cause of death was confirmed as asphyxia due to hanging.

The former Big Country singer, who was 43, was known to have suffered with drink and personal problems, and had been due to appear in court on a drink driving charge in March.

More than a thousand mourners are expected to attend a memorial service for the singer in Dunfermline, Scotland, on Sunday, 27 January.

Fans

Adamson's body was found in a hotel near Honolulu International Airport on 16 December after being reported missing by his estranged wife, Melanie Shelley, several weeks earlier.

He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.279% when he died, the coroners said. The legal driving limit in the state is 0.08%.

Sunday's memorial service will be held at Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall, which can hold 600 people - but hundreds more are expected to attend, Adamson's manager Ian Grant has said.

"I think there are going to be thousands of people. Stuart was a very prominent man in the town," he recently said.

'Dignity'

Big screens outside the venue will relay proceedings to fans who cannot get access to the Hall.

But the venue's manager, Evan Henderson, has urged fans not to besiege the venue, but wait for a memorial concert at the town's football stadium, which will be held in May or July.

Big Country were stars in the 1980s

"I have suggested that local fans take care (to maintain the dignity of the memorial), that the space outside Carnegie Hall is tight and to wait for a bigger event later in the year," he said in a statement.

East End Park, the home of Adamson's favourite football team, Dunfermline FC, is to play host to a concert in his memory.

Although no details have been announced, the aim is to feature musicians performing music spanning the length of Adamson's career.

Adamson's friends and family have already held a private ceremony.

Hits

Adamson was born in Manchester but grew up in Crossgates near Dunfermline in Fife.

He became a member of punk rock band The Skids in the late 70s but was most famous after he formed the band Big Country in 1982.

A string of hits included Look Away, Wonderland, In a Big Country and Fields of Fire.

The band were massive stars throughout the 80s, with two Grammy nominations and total sales of more than 10 million albums.

But in 1986, Adamson told how he had suffered a nervous breakdown six years before and was on the verge of another due to stress and overwork.