Brother of pop star Billy McKenzie dies in house fire

The brother of late Scots music legend Billy MacKenzie has died after being rescued from a house fire in Dundee.

Police gained entry to Johnny MacKenzie's flat in Mary Slessor Square in the early hours of this morning after heavy smoke was spotted pouring from the windows.

The 46-year-old - whose brother was the singer with the Associates - was found unconscious in the first-floor apartment by firefighters.

He was taken to Ninewells Hospital but died later.

Police said there were no apparent suspicious circumstances.

Neighbours had attempted to break in to rescue Mr MacKenzie, but were unable to save him.

A 21-year-old man was also treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

Mr MacKenzie's death comes 13 years after his brother committed suicide at the age of 39.

Billy MacKenzie - famed during his career for his operatic voice and theatrical antics - overdosed on a cocktail of drugs in the garden shed of his father's house in Auchterhouse, Dundee, in January 1997.