Paul Danan died hours earlier than he was due in court docket for medicine fees: Tragic Hollyoaks star, 46, was charged over cocaine and driving underneath the affect – weeks after detailing struggles with monetary woes
Hollyoaks star Paul Danan has died aged 46 just hours before he was due to appear in court today for allegedly possessing cocaine and cannabis, it has been revealed.
The actor played bad boy Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001 on the Channel 4 soap and was later known for being on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island.
But Danan had been due to appear for a plea hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court in Cheshire today after being charged with being in possession of several bags of cocaine and a ‘quantity’ of cannabis, according to court documents.
Danan – praised today as a ‘beacon of light’ – was also accused of driving a blue Fiat 500 whilst under the influence of drugs on October 2 last year in Warrington.
It comes just weeks after Danan told MailOnline in his final interview how he moved in with his parents and struggled to get acting work so worked in a phone repair shop to get by after leaving Hollyoaks.
Bafta-winning actor writer, director, and producer Adam Deacon, and EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney were among those who paid tribute to Danan today.
A statement from Independent Creative Management said: ‘It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of Paul Danan at just 46 years old.
Paul Danan enters the Celebrity Big Brother house at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood in 2017
The actor played bad boy Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001 on the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks
Paul Danan is pictured leaving Bristol Magistrates’ Court on November 4 last year
‘Known for his television presence, exceptional talent, and unwavering kindness, Paul was a beacon of light to so many. His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.
‘During this difficult time, we kindly request respect and privacy for Paul’s family, friends, and colleagues.’
Danan was a ITV’s Celebrity Love Island contestant in 2005 and 2006, though did not win either series.
He also appeared in the 2006 ITV2 reality show Calum, Fran And Dangerous Danan, which saw the actor, former Westlife bodyguard Fran Cosgrave and George Best’s son Calum Best travel across the US.
In 2017, Danan took part in Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother, where he was evicted early, and said at the time he hoped the series would give him a ‘second chance’ at his career.
He regularly called for his return to Hollyoaks, and later began the podcast The Morning After With Paul Danan, which lasted from 2019 until 2023.
Paul Danan is pictured in an audition clip he posted to Instagram last week
After leaving Hollyoaks, Danan appeared on the ITV reality series Celebrity Love Island in 2005
Paul Danan attends the World Fashion Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London in September 2019
In 2020, he started a drama workshop, Morning After Drama, which grew from online sessions during the pandemic to holding workshops in London, Oxford and the South West.
Its website says it is aimed at young people, recovering addicts, and former prisoners.
His other appearances included E4’s Celebrity Coach Trip, and Channel 4 sketch comedy programme The Kevin Bishop Show.
DJ Fat Tony, real name Anthony Marnoch, wrote on Instagram that Danan was ‘one of the sweetest men’, and said it ‘hurts so bad’.
Former EastEnders actor Michael Greco has remembered Danan as a ‘genuine and caring man’ following his death.
‘So, so sad to read about the passing of Paul Danan,’ he wrote on his Instagram Story alongside a photo of Danan.
‘In this day and age of falsities and fake people, he was a genuine and caring man who just wanted to please everyone.
Paul Danan and Abi Titmuss on Celebrity Love Island in June 2005
Paul Danan at a Hollyoaks party in November 2001. He played bad boy Sol Patrick in the show
Hollyoaks star Paul Danan was been described as a ‘beacon of light’ after his death aged 46
‘A lovely warm man that will be missed by many. R.I.P. Buddy.’
EastEnders actor Dean Gaffney also paid tribute to Danan in an Instagram story today, saying: ‘You had your demons, but my god you had a heart of gold, RIP Mr Paul Danan.’
Also today, TV presenter Hayley Palmer hailed her Danan as a ‘one-off character’ who was ‘so funny’.
The Sky presenter, who said she hosted a radio show with Danan on Love Sport Radio, recalled that he had invited her to a Prodigy concert a few weeks ago.
‘I’m in absolute bits. Love you forever @pauldanan’, she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of them together.
She added: ‘Paul was a one-off character, he was soooo funny! We were great friends and did a Radio Show on Love Sport Radio together and I would fall off my chair with laughter!
Danan was known for his TV appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island
Isabella Hervey and Paul Danan on a date on a fishing boat on Celebrity Love Island in 2005
Paul Danan arrives for a celebrity pyjama party and charity auction at Hamleys in 2001
‘And he was one of the first to reach out to me when I wasn’t in a good place last year.’
Palmer said the last messages they exchanged was telling each other ‘love you’.
Actor Adam Deacon called Danan a ‘genuinely kind and compassionate person’.
Bafta-winning actor writer, director, and producer Deacon, known for his leading role in Kidulthood, wrote in an Instagram story: ‘I just heard the devastating news about Paul Danan tragically passing away.
‘I had the pleasure of working with him, and he was a genuinely kind and compassionate person.’
He added that his ‘thoughts’ are with his friends and family.
Paul Danan and Lisa Kay attend the British Soap awards at the BBC TV studios in May 2000
Danan was in the 2006 ITV2 show Calum, Fran And Dangerous Danan, which saw the actor, ex- Westlife bodyguard Fran Cosgrave and George Best’s son Calum Best travel across the US
Last year, Danan told The Sun about his addiction to vaping, saying he had collapsed in May over e-cigarette use.
He also said he was warned by a nurse that if he was to ‘ever smoke in any form again, I risk being linked to an oxygen tank later on in life’.
Danan quit smoking in 2021 and said he then became ‘obsessed’ with vapes, and would ‘always have one in my hand, I would even go to sleep with it, like a comfort thing’.
He had previously discussed his substance abuse and recovery on ITV’s The Jeremy Kyle Show in 2019, which he says began when he was a teenager.
Danan said he had to ‘work hard at it every day to keep in recovery.’
In 2010, he pleaded guilty to drugs and public order offences, and was fined £350 and referred to a drugs agency for support by Stevenage Magistrates’ Court.
