Darius Campbell Danesh found fame on the very first TV singing contest, Popstars, back in 2001.
Back then, the formula was in its infancy, and the late Scottish star made an impact with his iconic and somewhat off-beat interpretation of Britney Spears' Baby One More Time.
The high-pitched performance marked the end of his time on the show, and he was mercilessly mocked for his departing speech in which he asked the other contestants, "Can you feel the love in the room?"
Back in the real world, he reportedly lost a record deal because the company feared he was unmarketable. He was booed off stage, jeered at by fellow students when he returned to university and was apparently spat at at London's G-A-Y night club.
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In Darius' own words, he 'hit rock bottom'.
Mortified for himself and his family, he admitted he started drinking heavily, explaining there was a period of time when he first moved to London to find a record deal that he was 'scarcely sober'.
He said: "Even with the support I had from my family and good friends looking out for me, I was heading down the slippery slope to self-destruction.
"And I wouldn't tell anyone how bad I felt. I was ashamed of myself and what I was doing."
After six months of torment, the Glaswegian performer had had enough. He stopped drinking all together and applied for Popstars follow-up, Pop Idol.
It was only after he came in third place and proved that he wasn't a 'national joke' that he dared to tell his parents how bad things had actually got.
"I told them after Pop Idol and after the record deal," he told the Birmingham Post.
"It was almost like I walked a tightrope without having a safety net and got to the other side. Then I said, 'Now I've done that, this is what happened when I was half way across'."
Reflecting on the experience, Darius said that in some ways, he was 'glad' to have been through so much.
He explained: "I feel that it allows me to understand the concept of self-abuse and to understand what people sometimes go through.
"There are dark times in everyone's life and certain people will find that they can't always see the light at the end of the tunnel."
Darius went on to become a major success. He turned down a contract with Simon Cowell and went on to have five UK top 10 singles including his number one hit, Colourblind, and a platinum debut album, Dive In.
In later life he became star of the theatre and a Hollywood producer, working on Daniel Radcliffe terrorism thriller, Imperium, in 2016.
He was tragically found dead in his apartment in the US on August 11 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.
"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."
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