Who is Darius Campbell? Scottish Pop Idol singer Darius Campbell Danesh died after inhaling chloroethane which led to respiratory arrest, a US medical examiner has confirmed.
The 41-year-old was found dead at his apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, last month.His family said he was suffering from chronic neck pain following a car accident in 2010.
The West End star’s death has been ruled an accident. The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office has confirmed that he died from “inhalation of chloroethane”.
Post-mortem examination documents obtained by the PA news agency listed “toxic effects of chloroethane” as well as “suffocation” as having contributed to his death.
In a statement, Campbell Danesh’s family said: “The results of medical examinations have confirmed that Darius’s death was an accident caused by chloroethane, which is used to treat pain and that tragically lead to respiratory arrest.
“Darius was suffering from chronic neck pain following a car accident in 2010.
“We would like to thank everyone for their love and kindness, and ask that the family’s privacy is maintain during this difficult time”.
70mph crash
In 2010, Campbell Danesh spoke to Hello! magazine about the 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 holiday in Spain.
He was treated with daily physiotherapy but turned down an operation recommended by doctors over concerns that it would damage his vocal cords.
In 2010, Darius announced that he had changed his surname to Campbell, saying he was very “proud” of his Scottish heritage and felt compelled to do so after his Scottish grandfather sang a song that brought tears to his eyes.
He told the Daily Record at the time that his real name was Darius Campbell Danesh and revealed it was not his decision to drop the Campbell from his name, stating that TV producers decided for him.
In 2010, Darius announced that he had changed his surname to Campbell, saying he was very “proud” of his Scottish heritage and felt compelled to do so after his Scottish grandfather sang a song that brought tears to his eyes.
He told the Daily Record at the time that his real name was Darius Campbell Danesh and revealed it was not his decision to drop the Campbell from his name, stating that TV producers decided for him.
Music mogul Simon Cowell, who Danesh Campbell turned down for a record deal after his time on the talent show, also paid tribute to the singer, as did Hollywood actor Gerard Butler who was a close friend.
Gentle, generous, humble’
Broadcaster Nicki Chapman, who was also a judge on the show, tweet that Campbell Danesh was “a true gent with a kind soul” adding her thoughts were with his family.
Gareth Gates, who finished second to Will Young on Pop Idol, described Campbell Danesh as a “big brother” who “took me under his wing” during their time together on the show.
In a post on Instagram, he added: “He was one of the most beautiful, intelligent, and gentle souls I was lucky enough to know, a soul that lit up every room.”
Actor Sanjeev Bhaskar tweeted: “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.”
“Darius was a lovely bloke,” added broadcaster James O’Brien. “He came across as very confident and ambitious on TV but away from the cameras he was gentle, generous, humble, and utterly devoted to his little brothers.”
Campbell Danesh was born in Glasgow in 1980 to a Scottish mother and an Iranian father and read English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
But he set his sights on stardom and first attracted attention on Popstars, the ground-breaking 2001 talent show, with his theatrical cover of Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time.
