David Gest suffered from amnesia at the end of his life because ex-wife Liza Minelli allegedly struck him with one of her stilettos, it has been reported.

Gest, who was dead in a London hotel on Tuesday aged 62, also told friends he was ill but claimed 'no-one believed' him.

Close friend of the US TV personality and star of the film Oliver!, Mark Lester, told the Sun: 'He was crippled by amnesia and got in touch two weeks ago.

David Gest (left) suffered from amnesia at the end of his life because ex-wife Liza Minelli (right) allegedly struck him with one of her stilettos, it has been reported

'Although their marriage was volatile and ended badly, he loved her.'

Lester, 57, added: 'But he said his memory had gone because of clashes in their relationship and being struck on the head by Liza's stiletto.'

The US entertainer claimed the worst attack was in 2003 at The Connaught hotel in London when Liza allegedly threw a lamp at him.

David tied the knot with singer Liza in a £2.4million ceremony in New York in 2002 with his childhood best friend Michael Jackson acting as best man.

Their tumultuous relationship saw explosive rows and they split 16 months later, before finally divorcing in 2007.

Close friend of the US TV personality and star of the film Oliver!, Mark Lester, (above) was told the worst attack was in 2003 at The Connaught hotel in London when Liza allegedly threw a lamp at him

Friends have claimed Gest had been taking sleeping pills and steroids in the weeks before his death as he desperately tried to get over various medical problems.

The star is also believed to have been recently suffering from pneumonia and high blood pressure.

Another friend told the Sunday People that the star had been complaining about his illness but that 'no-one believed' he was ill.

The friend added: 'He had been given antibiotics but was having difficulty breathing and felt there was something more to it than just a cold.'

The claim about his health comes amid news that David's planned music tour of the UK is set to go ahead despite his death.

The reality TV star was working on a tour of British venues - called the David Gest Is Not Dead But Alive With Soul tour - before he was dead in a London hotel room.

Singers appearing in the show - including Dina Carroll, Russell Thompkins of the Stylistics and Deneice Williams - have vowed to continue despite his passing.

The tour's unusual name was a play on a misunderstanding during the last series of Celebrity Big Brother, when another housemate wrongly thought Gest had died during filming.

The show's 24 planned dates around Britain are due to start in July.

The star was also set to start a permanent life in the UK and had been planning on moving into a flat in York.

Gest appeared on the 2006 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get me Out of Here!