Body of gifted Cambridge musician, 25, found in river

Tributes have poured in for the 25-year-old, whose death has left the local community ‘deeply saddened’

The death of a gifted Cambridge musician has left the local community “deeply saddened”. Harrison Cole, 25, was found in the River Cam on Sunday morning (June 7), police said it was not treating the death as suspicious.

A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said: “We were called to the River Cam at about 9.15am on Sunday with reports of the body of a man in the river near to King’s College. The death is not being treated as suspicious and has been passed to the coroner.”

Mr Cole was assisting organist at King’s College and has been described as a “glorious person and an amazing organist” in a tribute from the college. In a statement, the college said: “We are deeply saddened to share the news of the death of Harrison Cole, Assisting Organist at King’s College. Harrison Cole was a music scholar at Ipswich School, and during his school years, he spent three years as a student at the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music.

“Following a gap year organ scholarship at Wells Cathedral, he came up to Trinity College, Cambridge as organ scholar in 2019. Upon graduation, he spent a year as assistant organist at Gonville and Caius College before taking up his position at King’s in September 2024.”

During his time at King’s, the organist accompanied the Choir on recordings, broadcasts and concert tours, including two A Festivals of Nine Lessons and Carols services, and tours to Australia, Estonia, the USA and Canada.

Harrison was due to leave King’s this summer, according to the college. He had recently been appointed to assistantships at St Paul’s in Knightsbridge and St Michael’s in Cornhill: two significant musical establishments in London from which he was poised to develop a freelance career as pianist, organist and conductor.

Provost Gillian Tett said: “The entire College community has felt this loss keenly, particularly the Choir and Chapel teams. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this sad time.”

The celebrity organist Anna Lapwood wrote: “Still can’t quite get my head around this news. Harrison was such a glorious person and an amazing organist. Sending all my love to his family, and to everyone in Cambridge. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.”