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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Frances Kindon

Darius Campbell's heartbreak over divorce and beloved parents' double cancer

Singer and theatre star Darius Danesh Campbell has been found dead in his apartment in the US aged just 41.

His family confirmed the tragic news in a statement, revealing that he had died 'suddenly' but that the exact cause is not yet known. A statement from his family read: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh.

"Darius was found unresponsive in bed in his apartment room in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 and was pronounced dead in the afternoon by the local medical examiners’ office.

Darius Danesh Campbell has died aged just 41 (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

"The local police department have confirmed that there were no signs of intent or suspicious circumstances. The cause of his sudden death is unknown at this stage while medical examinations continue.

"We ask that you kindly respect our wishes for privacy at this time whilst we come to terms with the tragic loss of our son and brother."

Family was everything to the Pop Idol star, who died just three days short of his 42nd birthday.

The Glasgow-born performer was devastated when his gastroenterologist father, Dr Booth Danesh, was diagnosed with terminal cancer before his mother was also told she had the disease.

In 2003, Dr Danesh was given just three months to live.

Darius' father Dr Booth Danesh was given just three months to live (Daily Record)
Darius pictured with his younger brothers Aria and Cyrus (Sunday Mail)

And in 2015, his Scottish GP mother, Avril Campbell Danesh, was diagnosed with breast cancer.

But both went on to make miraculous recoveries, with chemotherapy and radiotherapy curing Dr Booth of stage 4 lymphoma that had spread to his bone marrow.

Before his diagnosis, he had been feeling run-down for 18 months but his symptoms were dismissed as arthritis.

It was only when he collapsed one day at home that a scan revealed a tumour the size of a large orange in his pelvis. By that point it had spread to his bone marrow and was terminal.

Chemotherapy shrunk the tumour to the size of a walnut but by July 2004, his body was so ravaged that his heart stopped beating - only to restart again. By Christmas he was in remission.

Darius auditioned for Popstars in 2000 before finding success on Pop Idol (ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

A decade later Avril found a lump in her breast and also underwent a gruelling course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy on top of surgery.

Darius told the Daily record: "Mum's illness was very serious – she had a lump in her neck too. It wasn’t good and at one point, we thought we might lose her but she came back.

"My parents are the most amazing, inspiring people.

"Both my parents have been very lucky to have faced death and survived.

"I love them both so much, I’m so thankful they are still here and they are both so inspiring for me."

Darius also endured a painful split from Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge, who he married after moving to the US at 22. He became a doting step-father to her two young sons.

Natasha Henstridge and Darius Campbell attend the Montblanc pre-Oscar brunch 2013 (PA)

But their relationship was a turbulent one according to Darius, who said they were on and off throughout their courtship.

"That relationship was certainly not without its ups and downs. Over the course of 12 years we broke up many times and had a period of six months apart," he once told the Scottish Herald.

"It was often a long distance relationship for half of it. That in itself was an amazing experience, but a painful one. When you love someone you want to be with them."

When they filed for divorce in 2013, Darius was heartbroken.

"I felt a great sense of loss with the divorce and I went through a grieving period. You see, you don’t break up with one person, you break up with three. And in some ways, it’s like a death," he added.

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