The girlfriend of the late British singer Darius Campbell Danesh has revealed the tragic star was suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition when he died last year.
The former Pop Idol contestant was 41 when he was found dead in his apartment in Minnesota in August 2022.
His heartbroken partner, Lauren Cheek has now revealed details of his cause of death to The Sun newspaper.
“So many things could have taken him, but this (heart condition) did, and he died in his sleep,” she said. “His mum told me they only found out (about the condition) 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.”
Campbell Danesh was suffering from the effects of a broken neck injury following a car accident in 2010. The Rushes singer was a passenger in a Porsche when it hit a wall at 70 mph after skidding on oil in Spain. He was left in pain and needed daily physiotherapy as he rejected an operation because he was concerned it would damage his vocal cords.
“The autopsy also found he was living with a broken neck, but he refused to get help or complain about it,” Cheek revealed. “I think he used (Chloroethane) because he was in so much pain and he didn’t want to take pills, not even aspirin.”
His bereaved partner stated it was the combination of medication and the heart condition that led to her musician beau’s death.
Campbell Danesh first appeared on the U.K. talent show Popstars before winning over fans who had initially treated him as a villain and finishing third in the first UK series of Pop Idol behind Will Young and Gareth Gates.
He then had five Top 10 UK singles, including a U.K. number one, Colourblind. After finding pop fame, he also became a West End star, appearing in stage musicals like Guys and Dolls, Chicago, Funny Girl and Gone with the Wind.