Hungarian pop star dies in gun accident

Jimmy Zambo, one of Hungary's best-selling pop stars, died yesterday in a freak gun accident.

Zambo, 42, accidentally shot himself in the head at his home in a residential district of Budapest, the state news agency MTI reported. He was a keen hunter and owned several guns.

Police said Zambo was with his wife and three friends, and they had been drinking when he fired his gun, a 9mm Beretta, out of the window.

A police spokeswoman said the reason why he fired this first shot was being withheld at the family's request.

The fatal shot went off when Zambo removed the clip, but failed to realise that a bullet was in the gun's chamber.

He was rushed to hospital but doctors could not save his life.

First reports spoke of suicide, but the spokeswoman told MTI it was an accident.

Zambo, whose real first name was Imre, started his career in the State Radio Children's Choir, and from 1982 to 1986 he worked in the United States in various clubs. All his albums were best-sellers, and since March 2000, he had had his own show on RTL-Klub, a commercial station which enjoyed high ratings.

Zambo is survived by his wife and three sons.

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