The girlfriend of singer Darius Campbell Danesh has revealed more sad details about the sudden death of the British singer in August 2022.
Lauren Cheek told the UK’s Sun newspaper that her late partner was suffering from a heart condition that was unknown until his autopsy was conducted.
She told the paper: “So many things could have taken him, but this [heart condition] did, and he died in his sleep.
“His mum told me they only found out [about the undiagnosed 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.”
In addition, Campbell Danesh was suffering from a longterm broken neck following a car accident that had left him in agonising pain. In 2010, Campbell Danesh was a passenger in a Porsche when it hit a wall at 70 mph after skidding on oil during a 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.
Cheek told The Sun: “The autopsy also found he was living with a broken neck, but he refused to get help or complain about it. I think he used (Chloroethane) because he was in so much pain and he didn’t want to take pills, not even aspirin.”
She said the combination of medication and heart condition led to the singer’s death.
He was 41 when he was found dead in his apartment in Minnesota. His close friend actor Gerard Butler was among those paying moving tribute at the time of his death.
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 UK No. 1 single, “Colourblind,” and his debut album Dive made the UK top 10. He released another album, Live Twice, in 2004. In all, he had five Top 10 UK singles from 2002-07.
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.