Pop Idol winner Will Young and Hollywood actor Gerard Butler have paid tribute to singer and actor Darius Campbell Danesh following his sudden death last week.
Danesh, 41, who rose to fame after appearing on Popstars and Pop Idol in the early 2000s, was found unresponsive in bed in his US apartment on August 11. The cause of his death is not yet known.
Young, who was crowned the winner of Pop Idol in 2002, featured both Danesh and Gareth Gates in the post, sharing a photo of himself with Danesh on Instagram, calling the late star “driven, brave and kind” .
He went on to say, “If ever there was an example of not giving up on your dreams, then Darius is top of the pile.”
In a lengthy message on Instagram, Butler said he was “devastated” by Danesh’s death, calling him his “brother” and sharing a photo of the pair smiling together.
Just weeks ago, Danesh and Butler were photographed with a dog walking barefoot together on a beach in Malibu, in what is believed to be the last photo taken of the singer before his death.
Butler wrote: “I am devastated by the sudden death of my dear friend Darius, a true brother in arms. My thoughts and love go out to his mum and dad Avril and Booth and his two brilliant siblings Aria and Cyrus
“Those lucky enough to have known Darius for more than a few minutes were deeply moved by his infectious laugh and barely contained zest for life.
“He was always armed with a smile, a booming voice and a genuinely warm hug that few could resist or want to!!! He was an incredible talent, a singer whose voice touched your soul and an actor with great presence.
“But most importantly, he had the heart of a lion. He was bigger and brighter than the sun and an energy so contagious he could light up a room in seconds.”
Image: Danesh at Popstars in 2001. Photo: ITV/Shutterstock
Danesh made his first bid for fame on the ITV show Popstars in 2001 and continued to cement his acting career when he came third in the first series of Pop Idol in 2002, won by Will Young.
One of the few people to say no to Simon Cowell, she turned down the music mogul’s offer of a record deal and instead signed with music titan Steve Lillywhite.
His debut single, Colourblind, was released in July 2002 and went straight to number one. The success was followed by a series of top 10 entries.
Since his death, Colourblind has re-entered the music charts and on Wednesday morning topped the iTunes downloads chart.
Danesh had a successful musical theater career, appearing in West End shows such as Chicago, Guys And Dolls, Gone With The Wind and Funny Girl.
Image: (L-R) Pop Idol top five: Gareth Gates, Hayley Evetts, Darius Danesh, Zoe Birkett and Will Young
Co-star Scot Butler, 51, is known for films like 300, Law Abiding Citizen and Olympus Has Fallen and its sequels. He also runs his own production company, G Base Productions.
In his message, Butler said Danesh was driven to “inspire others to better themselves” and was “always steadfast and unwavering in his passion for life.”
He continued, “But a bigger constant was his dream to inspire others to better themselves. He talked the talk, but boy, did he walk the walk. He had such purity of thought, deep wisdom and an abiding gratitude for people , for all life. , a compassion towards all.
“His hilarious self-deprecating sense of humor (he was funny as shit) allowed him to remain humble, something he deeply valued. Darius’s undying commitment to serving people—his family, his friends ( none more.than me) and to the world at large he made him the perfect friend.
“He led by example, but he was also a teacher as he pushed those he loved to be the best possible versions of themselves.”
Butler added: “The universe unfolds in ways that we may not agree with or even understand. Somewhere in here I think there is, or will be, some meaning as to why it left us so early.
“If it was nothing more than teaching us to live with that open heart, putting others first and never taking ourselves too seriously as we learn to navigate this bewildered world we live in then, that might be enough.
Image: Danesh with Chicago co-star America Ferrera in 2011
“But something tells me there will be many more waves created by our boy Darius down the road. My heart hurts so much. But going forward, I will beat the drum the loudest and celebrate life and every beautiful moment because my brother he showed it. it was a pretty incredible way to do it.”
Iceman director Ariel Vroman responded to the post saying, “Awesome words my brother – Darius will be greatly missed.”
In a statement, Danesh’s family said the star was “found unresponsive in bed in the bedroom of her apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 and was pronounced dead that afternoon by the ‘local coroner’s office’.
Local police confirmed there were “no signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances”, with the cause of her death unknown at this time.
Former Pop Idol judges Cowell and Pete Waterman and contestant Gates led tributes to Danesh following news of his death.