Former BBC Apprentice contestant Stuart Baggs died as a result of asthma, from which he had suffered for many years, police have said.
Baggs, who styled himself as “Baggs the Brand” when at 21 he became the youngest ever candidate to appear on the BBC1 show in 2010, was found dead by a friend on 30 July at his home on Central Promenade in Douglas, Isle of Man.
The 27-year-old, who ran Blue Wave Communications on the island, was seen by colleagues late on the day before his death and had seemed happy and well.
A statement from Isle of Man constabulary said Baggs died of natural causes as a result of his asthma.
Inspector Michelle McKillop said: “From the reaction we have encountered during our enquiries it is clear that this is a tragic and premature loss of such a hardworking and visionary young man.
“We extend our thoughts to the family at this sad time and on their behalf I would request that they are now left in peace to grieve as a family.”
During his stint on the programme, Baggs became well known for his immodest though oddly endearing exclamations. “Everything I touch turns to sold”, “I’m not a one-trick pony, I’m not a 10-trick pony, I’ve got a whole field of ponies, waiting to literally run towards this” and “I’m Stuart Baggs, ‘the Brand’ – I’ve got a certain type of charisma” were the highlights.
He was knocked out at the interview stage of the sixth series, which was won by Stella English. He gave an interview last week to a local newspaper describing his enthusiasm for work.
Alan Sugar, presenter of the contest for aspiring entrepreneurs, described Baggs’s death as “terrible” and heralded him as one of the show’s standout characters.