Darius Campbell Danesh

Darius Campbell Danesh (19 August 1980 – 11 August 2022) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, actor and film producer. He first came to prominence as Darius Danesh when he appeared in the first series of Popstars in 2001, and the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol. Under the name Darius, he released two studio albums, Dive In (2002) and Live Twice (2004), with both reaching the top 10 on the albums charts in his native Scotland, and the top 40 in the UK Albums Chart. His debut single, "Colourblind", reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 2002. His next singles, "Rushes" and "Incredible (What I Meant to Say)", reached the top ten in both Scotland and the United Kingdom in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Danesh performed the role of Billy Flynn in the West End production of Chicago in two runs of the musical. He played the lead role of Sky Masterson in the Olivier Award-winning Guys and Dolls, and the originating role of Rhett Butler in Sir Trevor Nunn's theatrical adaptation of Gone with the Wind. In 2010, he trained with tenor Rolando Villazón, won the ITV competition Popstar to Operastar and performed a duet with Villazón on The Impossible Dream. The UK's biggest operatic production was the occasion of his operatic début, at the O2 Arena with the Royal Philharmonic, in Carmen. At the age of 29, he assumed the lead role of Escamillo, Carmen's lover. The same year, he also starred in The History of the Big Bands tour, a show which takes the audience on a musical journey through the big band and swing era.