Darius Campbell Danesh found dead in his US apartment at 41

TSB News reports that former Pop Idol contestant and theatre star, Darius Campbell Danesh has died at the age of 41, his family has announced.

The singer and actor was found dead in his apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11. However, his cause of death in Rochester, Minnesota, is not yet known.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh,” a statement issued by his family read.

“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.”

Born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and Iranian father, Campbell Danesh was the eldest of three boys and went to Bearsden Primary School before studying English literature and philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.

He first rose to prominence on the ITV show Popstars in 2001, where he became known for his audition performance of Britney’s Baby One More Time.

He later came third on the first series of Pop Idol, which was won by Will Young, and his memorable performances included renditions of Tom Jones’s hit It’s Not Unusual and Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again.

His debut single, Colourblind, was released in July 2002 and went straight to number one.

The Scottish singer-songwriter later had a successful theatre career, appearing in West End shows such as Chicago, in which he played Billy Flynn, Guys And Dolls, Gone With The Wind and Funny Girl.

Campbell Danesh starred opposite Ugly Betty star America Ferrera in the musical set in prohibition-era Chicago.

Speaking about his role as Flynn, the actor had previously said he based his portrayal of the character on his old mentor and Pop Idol judge, Simon Cowell.

“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 said.

In 2011, he married the Canadian actor Natasha Henstridge at the San Ysidro ranch in Santa Barbara, California. They divorced a few years later.