Her body has not been recovered

Kimberly Burch and Downe, who has been the lead vocalist of the rock band since 1985, had been on an 80s-themed Royal Caribbean cruise when the incident took place.

Her body is yet to be recovered and details surrounding the tragedy are uncertain.

Burch's mother shared the devastating news with TMZ, saying she’s confident Burch would not purposefully have hurt herself.

However, she claimed the 56-year-old had been drinking on the cruise which was out of character for her.

In a statement issued to Metro, Royal Caribbean Group said: "Our crew immediately launched a search and rescue effort, is working with local authorities, and we are providing support and assistance to the guest’s family during this difficult time.

"To respect the privacy of our guest’s family, we have no additional details to share."

The US Coast Guard confirmed the incident happened around 20 miles away from Freeport, Bahamas and the Coast Guard deployed a helicopter crew to assist the Royal Bahamas Defense Coast in their search. Search efforts were later suspended.

Burch’s mother said she has not yet been in touch with authorities but the family are trying to recover her body.

A statement posted to Facebook by her family read: "It is with broken hearts that we share the sad news that Kimberly Burch has passed away.

"She was a beloved Daughter,Sister,Sister-in-law and Aunt. She will be greatly missed by all that knew and loved her.

"We ask for prayers during this time for our family as we try to wrap our minds around this heartbreaking tragedy. We love and miss you Kimberly Burch!!"

Burch's sister-in-law, Kellie, confirmed that the family had not spoken to Downe since he called to break the news.

She told MailOnline: "We just want to know what happened. We just want answers.

"She was the life of the party and the light of the room. I last heard from her about a week ago […] she was looking forward to the trip.

"We are doing as well as we possibly can be while we wait."

Faster Pussycat were a featured act on the 7-day cruise alongside Squeeze, Adam Ant, Tiffany and Men at Work.

The cruise set sail from Miami on February 27 and is due to return on March 6.