The girlfriend of the late Pop Idol star Darius Campbell Danesh says he had a heart condition as she speaks out one year after his death.
Aged just 41, the singer and actor was found unresponsive in his apartment in Minnesota in August 2022.
The Scottish star - 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 series of Pop Idol, which was won by Will Young.
While he did not win the competition, Darius was offered a record deal by Simon Cowell, before turning it down to instead team up with producer Steve Lillywhite, whose credits include U2 and the Rolling Stones.
Advert
Now, despite various reports, the cause of Darius' death has been revealed by heartbroken girlfriend, Lauren Cheek.
The 30-year-old told The Sun: "Darius was living with this heart condition that he didn’t know he had.
"So many things could have taken him, but this one thing did, and he died in his sleep.
"His mum told me they only found out after they did the autopsy. His heart was twice the size it was supposed to be, which was fitting, because that is genuinely how he was — he had so much love.
"The autopsy also found he was living with a broken neck, but he refused to get help or complain about it.
Advert
"I think he used (chloroethane) because he was in so much pain and he didn’t want to take pills, not even aspirin.
"That’s what killed him — the substance mixed with his heart and he couldn’t take it."
At the time, fellow Pop Idol contestants Will Young and Gareth Gates paid tribute to the singer after his death was announced, describing him as 'driven, courageous and gentle'.
In a heartfelt tribute on his Instagram page, Young wrote: "For the past few days my thoughts have been with Darius’s family and will continue to be so.
Advert
"I found this picture a while ago taken during Pop Idol.
"If there was ever an example of not giving up on your dreams then Darius is top of the pile.
"Driven, courageous and gentle. My love goes to his family at this time x."
Gates said Darius had taken him 'under his wing' while appearing together on the show and had been 'like a big brother, always looking out for me'.
Advert
He said: "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."
Featured Image Credit: michael melia / Alamy Stock Photo / HandoutTopics: Celebrity