Superyacht sinking: Jonathan and Judy Bloomer ‘inspiration to many’, says family after couple confirmed dead
The family of Jonathan and Judy Bloomer have described them as “incredible people and an inspiration to many” following their deaths in the sinking of a luxury yacht in Sicily.
The Morgan Stanley International bank chairman, 70, and his wife were confirmed dead after five bodies were found by divers on Wednesday – taking the number of confirmed dead to six.
The pair were on the trip with British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch to celebrate his court victory back in June.
“We are grieving for our loved ones and all of those affected by the tragedy. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the emergency services and everyone who helped tirelessly in this rescue operation,” the family said in a statement on Thursday.
Superyacht sinks latest: Five bodies identified
“Our parents were incredible people and an inspiration to many, but first and foremost they were focused on and loved their family and spending time with their new grandchildren. Together for five decades, our only comfort is that they are still together now.
“This is an unimaginable grief to shoulder. Our only ask is that our family’s privacy is respected at this time.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Five bodies identified after yacht sinks
Mr Bloomer was serving as chairman of both Morgan Stanley and insurance group Hiscox at the point of his death.
The City veteran was said to have interests in sailing, rugby and music, and was also a member of the finance committee of UK children’s charity NSPCC.
He was married to Ms Bloomer, a trustee and long-time supporter of gynaecological cancer research charity the Eve Appeal.
‘Friend and mentor to many’
Ted Pick, chief executive of Morgan Stanley, also paid tribute to Mr Bloomer and sent his “deepest condolences” to all those affected by the tragedy.
“Jonathan’s leadership and experience helped the firm manage a period of complex change for our international businesses,” Mr Pick said.
“He has been a friend and mentor to many and we will all greatly miss his wise counsel and spirit of kindness.”
The superyacht sank with 22 people on board. Pic: Danny Wheelz
Aki Hussain, chief executive of insurance group Hiscox, added: “It was a privilege to have known Jonathan and to have benefited from his generosity and wisdom over the last year in his role as chair of Hiscox.
“His deep experience across our industry and in the broader business arena, combined with his personal values, made him both an excellent chair and a person I was proud to know and work with.
Meanwhile, Investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown – where Mr Bloomer was a former board director – described him as a “giant in financial services”.
Read more:
Why search of superyacht wreck has been so difficult
The ‘alarming’ potential cause of superyacht disaster
Mr Bloomer was described as a ‘giant in financial services’. Pic: Hiscox/ Linkedin
“His advice and support were immensely valuable to me, and he will be dearly missed.”
The yacht – known as the Bayesian – sank early Monday morning after a storm hit the region.
The wreckage is now on the seabed at a depth of around 50m (164ft) off Porticello near Palermo, where it had been anchored.
👉 Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈
Mr Lynch, 59, was also among the dead, but his 18-year-old daughter Hannah remains missing.
Twenty-two people were on board the vessel, 15 of whom were rescued – including Mr Lynch’s wife Angela Bacares and Briton Charlotte Golunski and her one-year-old daughter Sofia.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Mike Lynch’s neighbour: ‘Words fail me’
Speaking to Sky News, one of Mr Lynch’s neighbours has described him as “generous, humble and full of integrity”.
Ruth Leigh lived next door to Mr Lynch and his wife in Suffolk for 15 years.
She described them as “fantastic neighbours” and said the tech tycoon “never played on his position” and was “very friendly and down-to-earth” despite his fortune.
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈
Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway