When the late Darius Campbell Danesh first appeared on TV screens in 2001's Popstars, he cut a very different figure to the sharp-suited star he became.
With his long ponytail and goatee beard, the late performer famously got booted out after a somewhat out-there interpretation of Britney Spears' Baby One More Time. His iconic acapella falsetto rendition went down in history, and his parting monologue only added to the moment.
"It's just not our time, that’s it. We’ve all got talent," he told his distraught co-stars, adding, "How much love is there in this room? I feel so much energy from your guys. There's nothing to lose from this."
Leaving the show, the then 21-year-old student matter-of-factly told judge Nigel Lythgoe that he would be back with a platinum album before her was 35.
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Nigel didn't doubt him for one second. "Darius is a survivor in life," he told the cameras. "And Darius will do whatever Darius has to do to survive. And it wouldn't surprise me if Darius does get a platinum disc in the next five years."
And the next year he was indeed back - this time on Pop Idol. Still undoubtedly stinging from being branded a 'national joke', Darius proved he was anything but and ended up coming third behind Will Young and Gareth Gates.
He'd also made some big changes to his appearance, shaving off his beard and chopping off his ponytail. And he revealed that his transformation had been brought about by his little brother Cyrus, who was then just seven.
Explaining that, "never a truer word was spoken by a child," he admitted that one comment from Cyrus was enough to make him rethink everything.
He told the Guardian: "I went to give him a goodnight kiss, and he was half asleep, and he opened this huge face and squinted at me.
"I said, 'What's wrong?' and he said, 'Darius, you're rough'. I thought he summed it up. The goatee was off next morning."
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.
Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing into Darius' cause of death after he was found dead in an apartment in Minnesota, US, 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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