Will Young has paid tribute to Darius Campbell Danesh following his death at the age of 41.
The Leave Right Now singer appeared on Pop Idol with Darius in 2002, which Will went on to win.
On Friday, the singer shared a photo of him with Darius on Instagram and shared a heartfelt message, describing the singer and West End star as “driven, courageous and gentle”.
“For the past few days my thoughts have been with Darius’s family and will continue to be so,” Will captioned the picture.
“I found this picture a while ago taken during Pop Idol. If there was ever an example of not giving up on your dreams then Darius is top of the pile. Driven, courageous and gentle. My love goes to his family at this time x.”
Darius came third on Pop Idol after initially auditioning for Popstars in 2001. Runner-up, Gareth Gates, has also paid tribute earlier this week.
“I can’t quite believe the news of my dear friend Darius passing. I’m heartbroken,’ he wrote on Instagram.
“Darius took me under his wing during our time in Pop Idol, like a big brother; always looking out for me and for that I thank you my friend.
“I will miss our chats. He was one of the most beautiful, intelligent and gentle souls I was lucky enough to know, a soul that lit up every room.
“Goodbye my friend. Forever in my heart x.”
Other tributes have flooded in for the star, including from his friend, Hollywood star Gerard Butler, and Pop Idol judges Simon Cowell and Pete Waterman.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Darius’ family said he 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”.
Local police confirmed there were “no signs of intent or suspicious circumstances”, with the cause of his death unknown at this stage, the family added.