‘Pop Idol’ Singer Darius Campbell Danesh’s Cause Of Death Confirmed

Caroline Frost
·2 min read
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Scottish singer and West End star Darius Campbell Danesh died from respiratory arrest caused by inhalation of chloroethane, a US medical examiner has confirmed. 

The former Pop Idol contestant’s death has been ruled an accident by the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, after Campbell Danesh was found in his Rochester apartment last month. 

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His family revealed the singer had been suffering from chronic neck pain following a car accident in 2010, a trauma he had previously talked about in interviews.

In 2010, Campbell Danesh was a passenger in a Porsche when it hit a wall at 70mph after skidding on oil during a Spanish holiday in Spain.

He was treated with daily physiotherapy but rejected an operation recommended by doctors because he was concerned that it would damage his vocal cords.

Campbell Danesh was found unresponsive in his Rochester apartment on August 11, according to a statement from his family.

Born in Glasgow to a Scottish mother and Iranian father, Campbell Danesh first appeared on talent format Popstars two decades ago before finishing third in the first UK Pop Idol on ITV behind Will Young and Gareth Gates, winning over fans on a hit format that put him on the map.

He followed up with a No. 1 single, “Colourblind,” and his debut album Dive made the UK top 10. He released another album, Live Twice, in 2004.

Campbell Danesh then found fame as a West End Star, appearing in the likes of Guys and Dolls, Chicago, Funny Girl and Gone with the Wind. In 2017, he nearly died after drinking sewage water from the River Thames and contracting meningitis.

He married Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge in 2011, and they divorced two years later.

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