Model, singer and 1980s hearthrob Nick Kamen has died aged 59, sparking outpouring from pop luminaries Madonna, Boy George and Duran Duran.

Kamen was known for his modelling work and his singles Each Time You Break My Heart and I Promised Myself.

But it was a cheeky 1984 advertisement for Levi’s jeans – which featured Kamen stripping to his jocks in an laundrette – that catapulted him into living rooms around the world.

The British-born singer reportedly died after a long illness.

Culture Club frontman Boy George led tributes to Kamen, describing him as “the most beautiful and sweetest man” in an Instagram post.

Madonna, who co-wrote the top-10 hit Each Time You Break My Heart, said “It breaks my heart to know you are gone”.

“You were always such a kind sweet human and you suffered too much,” she said.

“Hope you are happier wherever you are, Nick Kamen.”

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John Taylor from 80s legends Duran Duran said Kamen had been a “beloved friend to his family”.

“One of the loveliest and gentlest men I ever met,” he said.

“He was a beloved friend to my daughter and her mom. We shall all miss him.”

Kamen’s modelling work and appearance in the Levis ad made him a sex symbol of the late 1980s.

He released his final album Whatever, Whenever, in 1992.