Darius Danesh death: Pop Idol star died in his sleep with undiagnosed condition which made heart swell

The Scottish singer died suddenly in his sleep last August

The heartbroken girlfriend of Pop Idol star Darius Danesh, who died suddenly last summer aged just 41, has revealed that the singer was suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition.

Darius, who rose to fame in 2001 after coming third on the first series of Pop Idol, died in his sleep at a flat in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 11 last year. In September, an investigation and autopsy ruled that he died from “inhalation of chloroethane" and that his death was an accident.

Speaking to The Sun, his girlfriend Lauren Cheek opened up for the first time about Darius' death and the moment she learned that he had been “ripped away” from her. The 30-year-old businesswoman said the Glasgow-born singer's heart had swelled to twice its normal size and that he was also living with chronic pain caused by a broken neck.

Pop Idol star Darius Danesh was suffering from an undiagnosed heart condition, his girlfriend has said

She said: “Darius was living with this heart condition that he didn't know he had. So many things could have taken him, but this one thing did, and he died in his sleep. His mum told me they only found out after they did the autopsy.

"His heart was twice the size it was supposed to be, which was fitting, because this is genuinely how he was - he had so much love. 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.

"That's what killed him - the substance mixed with his heart and he couldn't take it.”

She added that Darius, who studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, struggled with pain from a broken neck after he was involved in a string of serious crashes. Lauren said: “He was always in pain and I would beg him to see the doctor but he refused. He was trying to find a natural remedy.”

The Sun reported that the singer, who is best known for hits such as ‘Colourblind’ and ‘Rushes’, had travelled to Minnesota to support actor Gerard Butler, with whom he was close friends, but Lauren refused to comment on who he was visiting at the time of his death.

Lauren said that she and Darius were planning to get married and that Darius – who she lovingly calls ‘D’ – described her to friends and family as “the woman I want to have my children with”.

"The last time I talked to him was the night before he died,” she said. “He was tired and run down and I could tell he was in so much pain. I told him ‘I’m flying out on Sunday, it’s only a few more days, just hang in there’.

"We had agreed to go to Scotland for his birthday the following week so he could relax and recharge. But the next day I couldn’t reach him. I texted his mum Avril on the Saturday and said ‘Hey, I’m sure D just lost his phone, but have you heard from him because he’s not messaging me back?’

"I could see on WhatsApp that the last time he saw his phone was on Wednesday. His phone was going straight to voicemail. I started freaking out and I got a call from his mum on Monday morning. She told me she had just found out the previous day. I could believe it was real.”

She added: “I still can’t believe he is gone because it was so sudden and heartbreaking. I keep thinking he is going to call me or walk through the door. When someone you love that intensely is ripped away from you, it’s too much.”