David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Darius Campbell Danesh
Darius Campbell Danesh‘s death has been ruled an accident.
The Scottish singer died at age 41 in his Rochester, Minnesota, apartment on Aug. 11, according to a statement from his family given to Deadline.
The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed to The Guardian that the former Pop Idol star died from “inhalation of chloroethane.” His death was ruled an accident.
“The results of medical examinations have confirmed that Darius’s death was an accident caused by chloroethane, which is used to treat pain and that tragically lead to respiratory arrest,” a statement from his family obtained by the outlet read. “We would like to thank everyone for their love and kindness, and ask that the family’s privacy is maintained during this difficult time.”
Danesh’s family added that he had been suffering from chronic pain following a car accident in 2010 that left him with a broken neck, per The Guardian.
The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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The Scottish singer — whose debut single “Colourblind” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. charts in 2002 — was found “unresponsive” in his U.S. apartment last month, according to his family.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Darius Campbell Danesh,” the family said in the statement released at the time. “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.”
RELATED: Darius Campbell Danesh, Former ‘Pop Idol’ Contestant and West End Musical Star, Dead at 41
Born in Glasgow, Campbell Danesh first found fame in 2001 when he did a theatrical cover of Britney Spears‘ “Baby One More Time” on the British talent competition show Popstars. A year later, he placed third on ITV’s Pop Idol, behind Will Young and Gareth Gates.
After the show, he turned down a record deal from Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell, choosing instead to sign with producer Steve Lillywhite. Lillywhite collaborated with Campbell Danesh on his debut single “Colourblind,” which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. charts.
Campbell Danesh went on to have four more U.K. top 10 singles over the next three years: “Rushes,” “Incredible (What I Meant To Say),” “Kinda Love” and “Live Twice.” He also toured with artists such as Shakira and Alanis Morissette.
Starting in 2005, Campbell Danesh found new acclaim as a West End star, appearing in musicals like Guys and Dolls, Chicago, Funny Girl, From Here to Eternity and Gone with the Wind. In 2010, he also won the ITV show Popstar to Operastar, which followed eight pop stars as they trained to perform famous opera arias.
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After news of his death, tributes from Campbell Danesh’s fellow stars poured in, including from British TV presenter and former X-Factor contestant Rylan Clark. “Proper sad about Darius,” Clark tweeted.
The Kumars actor Sanjeev Bhaskar remembered the time Campbell Danesh guest starred on the series in 2002, writing on Twitter that he “couldn’t have been a nicer, warmer guest with a great sense of self deprecation.”
