Gareth Gates led tributes to his ‘big brother’ Darius Campbell Danesh after he was found dead in his apartment at the age of 41.
The singer, 38, who appeared on Pop Idol with the late singer in 2002, honoured Darius with a heartfelt post after his passing was confirmed by his family in a statement.
Darius’ Popstars alum Jessica Pietersen and Michelle Heaton – who featured on the show in 2001 – were among also among stars paying tribute.
Gareth said in a statement: ‘I can’t quite believe the news of my dear friend Darius passing. I’m heartbroken. Darius took me under his wing during our time in Pop Idol, like a big brother; always looking out for me and for that I thank you my friend.
Tributes: Gareth Gates led tributes to his ‘big brother’ Darius Campbell Danesh after he was found dead in his apartment at the age of 41
‘I will miss our chats. He was one of the most beautiful, intelligent and gentle souls I was lucky enough to know, a soul that lit up every room. Goodbye my friend. Forever in my heart.
Singer Jessica, 42, said the singer was a ‘true gentleman’ and will be remembered with fondness by his co-stars.
Stars took to social media to offer their sympathies, including Lorraine Kelly, Adele Roberts and Rylan, after his passing was confirmed by his family in a statement.
Darius, who starred on Noughties favourites Popstars and Pop Idol, was found dead in his apartment in Minnesota five days ago.
Myleene Klass, who also shot to fame on Popstars with her band Hear’Say, also posted following his tragic passing and honoured him with a throwback image, titled: ‘Back where it all began.’
Sad: Celebrities have paid tribute to Pop Idol star Darius after he was found dead in his apartment at the age of 41
Adele Roberts tweeted: ‘This is so sad. Thinking of Darius’ family and friends,’ while Rylan posted: ‘Proper sad about Darius.’
Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar also posted: ‘Sad news of Darius’ shockingly untimely passing. He was a guest on The Kumars and couldn’t have been a nicer, warmer guest with a great sense of self deprecation.’
Bonnie Langford was among celebrities sharing her shock, writing: ‘Shocked to the core.’
Lorraine Kelly, said: ‘Thoughts with his family and friends and everyone who loved him. A really good bloke – funny and kind and very talented.’
RIP: Myleene Klass, who also shot to fame on Popstars with her band Hear’Say, also posted following his tragic passing and honoured him with a throwback image, titled: ‘Back where it all began’
Comedian Lenny Henry reshared a video of Darius’ now famous Hit Me Baby One More Time – which was dubbed cringey at the time – when he auditioned for Popstars in 2001.
Darius’ death was announced by his family in a statement after he was found dead in his US apartment room at the age of 41.
The singer and actor was found in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 – although the cause of death remains unknown.
A statement said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh. Darius was found unresponsive in bed in his apartment room in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 and was pronounced dead in the afternoon by the local medical examiners’ office.
A true gent! Liberty X star Jessica Pietersen was among stars paying tribute to Pop Idol star Darius Campbell after he was found dead in his apartment at the age of 41
Tragedy: Following the news that the Scottish singer had passed away, a slew of stars took to social media to offer their sympathies, including Adele Roberts and Rylan
Heartbroken: Bonnie Langford was among celebrities sharing her shock, writing: ‘Shocked to the core’
Lorraine Kelly, said: ‘Thoughts with his family and friends and everyone who loved him. A really good bloke – funny and kind and very talented’
‘The local police department have confirmed that there were no signs of intent or suspicious circumstances. The cause of his sudden death is unknown at this stage while medical examinations continue.
‘We ask that you kindly respect our wishes for privacy at this time whilst we come to terms with the tragic loss of our son and brother.’
The Scottish singer-songwriter and actor – who was known as Darius Danesh when he made his first bid for fame in ITV show Popstars in 2001 – also appeared on the first Pop Idol, which was won by Will Young.
He went on to forge a successful stage career, appearing in Chicago as Billy Flynn in two runs of the production, as well as Guys And Dolls, Gone With The Wind and more in the West End.
RIP: The singer and actor was found in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 – although the cause of death remains unknown
He lived in the US and found love with Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge, whose films include sci-fi hit Species.
The couple married in 2011 at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, but were divorced a few years later.
In 2010, he spoke to Hello! magazine about a car crash in which he broke his neck.
The singer had been a passenger in a Porsche when it hit a wall at 70mph after skidding on oil during a sunshine break in Spain.
After coming third in Pop Idol in 2010, he went on to win the first series of ITV’s Popstar To Operastar contest, beating Bernie Nolan of the Nolan Sisters in a close final.
A few months after his win on the ITV show, which featured Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins and Mexican-born tenor Rolando Villazon as judges, he landed his first major opera role as he was cast in a new production of Carmen at London’s O2 Arena.
He took on the principal role of toreador Escamillo in the production, for a one-off performance which marked the first ever opera at the venue at the time.
In 2011, speaking about reprising the role of Chicago’s scheming lawyer Flynn, he said he had based his portrayal of the character on his old mentor and Pop Idol judge, Simon Cowell.
Campbell starred opposite Ugly Betty star America Ferrera in the musical set in prohibition-era Chicago, and said: ‘He’s the consummate businessman and a wonderful guy and there’s a lot of Simon Cowell in Billy Flynn in terms of the way he approaches things and I recognise that in terms of the character.’
He credited Cowell with persuading him to take on the role in Chicago in the first place.
He said: ‘I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences I’ve had and all the opportunities that it opened up and to be able to call Simon Cowell a friend and to be able to have dinner with him.’
From cringey rendition of Britney Spears hit, to West End stardom, marriage to Hollywood actress and near fatal coma: How Pop Idol’s Darius Danesh went from joke act to Chicago, friendship with Rebel Wilson and Gerard Butler and TWO brushes with death
By Katie Feehan
Darius Campbell Danesh shot to fame when he first appeared on Popstars in 2001 before going on to have successful music and theatre career.
In a performance regarded by most as cringey when it aired at the time, Darius garnered attention for his cover of Britney Spears ‘s Hit Me Baby One More Time while sporting a ponytail and goatee on the ITV talent show.
While the show’s eventual winners became Hear’Say and Liberty X, Darius didn’t give up on achieving musical stardom.
Reality TV star: A year later he was voted to the finals of Pop Idol (Pictured 2001)
The Scottish singer went on to compete in Pop Idol a year later, sporting a new look and crooned his way to third place, finishing behind runner-up Gareth Gates and winner Will Young.
After Pop Idol, Campbell Danesh turned down Simon Cowell’s offer of a record deal and signed with producer Steve Lillywhite, whose credits include U2 and the Rolling Stones.
His first single Colourblind was released in 2002 and shot to number one in the charts where it stayed for two weeks.
Humble beginnings: Darius, formerly Darius Danesh, first gained fame in 2001 after appearing on the British talent competition Popstars (Pictured 2000)
The singer went on to have a total of five top ten UK hits and his debut album Dive In went platinum.
After coming third in Pop Idol he went on to win the first series of ITV’s Popstar To Operastar contest, beating Bernie Nolan of the Nolan Sisters in a close final.
A few months after his win on the ITV show, which featured Welsh singer Katherine Jenkins and Mexican-born tenor Rolando Villazon as judges, he landed his first major opera role as he was cast in a new production of Carmen at London’s O2 Arena.
Darius took on the principal role of toreador Escamillo in the production, for a one-off performance which marked the first ever opera at the venue at the time.
He went on to forge a successful stage career, appearing in Chicago as Billy Flynn in two runs of the production, as well as Guys And Dolls, Gone With The Wind and more in the West End.
In 2011, speaking about reprising the role of Chicago’s scheming lawyer Flynn, he said he had based his portrayal of the character on his old mentor and Pop Idol judge, Simon Cowell.
Campbell starred opposite Ugly Betty star America Ferrera in the musical set in prohibition-era Chicago, and said: ‘He’s the consummate businessman and a wonderful guy and there’s a lot of Simon Cowell in Billy Flynn in terms of the way he approaches things and I recognise that in terms of the character.’
He credited Cowell with persuading him to take on the role in Chicago in the first place.
He said: ‘I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences I’ve had and all the opportunities that it opened up and to be able to call Simon Cowell a friend and to be able to have dinner with him.’
He lived in the US and found love with Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge, whose films include sci-fi hit Species.
The couple, who began dating in 2006, married in 2011 at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, but were divorced a few years later.
Danesh (left) enjoying a walk with his friend, the actor Gerard Butler, in Malibu on June 11 this year. This is the last picture of the star in public
He previously told the Scottish Herald: ‘That relationship was certainly not without its ups and downs. Over the course of 12 years, we broke up many times and had a period of six months apart.
The singer and theatre actor with Natasha Henstridge at the 19th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Oscar viewing party at the Pacific Design Center on February 27, 2011 in West Hollywood
Chilling: Donning a classic black dress, the Australian actress, 39, looked happy and relaxed as she headed out arm-in-arm with the Pop Idol hunk, 38
‘It was often a long-distance relationship for half of it. That in itself was an amazing experience, but a painful one. When you love someone you want to be with them.’
He also made a foray into Hollywood as a co-executive producer on the horror film Imperium starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2016.
In 2019, he was pictured enjoying a low-key stroll with unlikely pal actress Rebel Wilson in Portofino, Italy.
The singer and theatre actor with Natasha Henstridge at the 19th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation’s Oscar viewing party at the Pacific Design Center on February 27, 2011 in West Hollywood
In 2010, the singer spoke to Hello! magazine about a car crash in which he broke his neck.
The singer had been a passenger in a Porsche when it hit a wall at 70mph after skidding on oil during a sunshine break in Spain.
Then, in 2017, Darius suffered another health scare when he went into a near-fatal coma after he accidentally drank some dirty water from the Thames while filming an advert for a charity water filter.
The Pop Idol star had gone to Glasgow to see his mum for her birthday. It turned out the filter he used in the advert was a dummy version.
Fun times: Rebel Wilson, 39, looked in high spirits as she enjoyed a low-key stroll with her unlikely pal Darius Campbell, 38, in Portofino, Italy on Monday
He told the Daily Record: ‘It turned out I had a cerebral oedema where your brain swells bigger than your skull. Dad saved my life. He got me to hospital. They diagnosed it quickly.’
His mother Avril, who was going through treatment at the time, kept a bedside vigil after he lapsed into a coma.
Campbell Danesh was born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and Iranian father.
The eldest of three boys, he attended Bearsden Primary School before studying English literature and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
Although he found fame as Darius Danesh, he later changed his name to incorporate his mother Avril’s maiden name, Campbell, after an emotional visit to his grandfather in a Paisley nursing home made him reflect on his Scottish heritage.
He became a supporter of cancer charities including Cancer Research UK after both his parents were diagnosed with cancer and recovered.
Chilling: Donning a classic black dress, the Australian actress, 39, looked happy and relaxed as she headed out arm-in-arm with the Pop Idol hunk, 38