Darius Campbell Danesh: Simon Cowell and Gareth Gates lead tributes to late Pop Idol star

Simon Cowell has led the tributes to Pop Idol and West End star Darius Campbell Danesh, calling his death at 41 an "absolute tragedy".

Cowell was a judge on the show on which Campbell Danesh finished third in 2002, behind Gareth Gates and winner Will Young in the inaugural series.

"I first saw Darius on television over 20 years ago and I got to know him really well," said Cowell.

"He was charismatic, funny and just a great person to be with."

Cowell added: "His passing, for someone so young, is an absolute tragedy and my heart goes out to his family and friends."

The cause of death is not known but his family said he was found in his US apartment.

Gareth Gates described Campbell Danesh as a "big brother" who "took me under his wing" during their time together on the show.

In a post on Instagram, he added: "He was one of the most beautiful, intelligent and gentle souls I was lucky enough to know, a soul that lit up ever room."

Broadcaster Nicki Chapman, who was also a judge on the show, tweeted that Campbell Danesh was "a true gent with a kind soul" adding her thoughts were with his family.

Campbell Danesh initially rose to fame on Pop Idol's ground-breaking predecessor Popstars on ITV in 2001, with his theatrical cover of Britney Spears' Baby One More Time.

Later that year, he resurfaced on the follow-up, Pop Idol, which concluded in 2002, minus his ponytail and beard and with a new attitude that took him to the last three. The final was watched by more than 13 million people.

Myleene Klass and Michelle Heaton, who also found fame on Popstars, in the bands Hear'Say and Liberty X respectively, shared their memories of him.

Reacting to the news of his death on Tuesday, another former Pop Idol judge Pete Waterman told Sky News: "He was lovely to work with, genuine and hugely talented. I first met him on the first Pop Idol, I hadn't seen him on Popstars, but I had two young daughters who told me about this crazy guy singing Baby One More Time.

"He walked out, and he sang, and I thought he was brilliant. I thought, 'wow, this guy is great', and we became firm friends."

Reflecting on his career in an interview with Digital Spy in 2017, the performer said his early experiences on the shows helped to shape him.

"I look back at it all with fond memories, and with deep appreciation of the support of the British public at a time when I first went through Popstars - I made mistakes and I was too cocky and I didn't have humility," he said.

"I came back with a willingness to learn from my mistakes and to simply share my voice and love of music," he added. "I have deep respect for anyone who puts themselves in the position of being judged or being possibly put in the position of public criticism."

After impressing on Pop Idol, he turned down a record deal from judge Cowell in order to work with producer Steve Lillywhite, who collaborated with him on the pop hit Colourblind.

He later told The Guardian his reasons for turning down Cowell's "gracious" offer was that he had been encouraged to release two covers when we wanted to work on original material.

"Imagine, I could have done a cover of Gareth's cover of Robson and Jerome's cover of the Righteous Brothers," he joked. "How great! You know, that doesn't inspire me."

Campbell Danesh went on to enjoy four more UK top 10 singles over the next three years - Rushes, Incredible (What I Meant To Say), Kinda Love and Live Twice.

He then forged a successful stage career, appearing as Billy Flynn in two runs of Chicago, once claiming he based his portrayal of the scheming lawyer on Cowell.

"He's the consummate businessman and a wonderful guy and there's a lot of Simon Cowell in Billy Flynn in terms of the way he approaches things, and I recognise that in terms of the character," he said.

He credited Cowell with persuading him to take on the role, opposite Ugly Betty star America Ferrera.

"I'm incredibly grateful for the experiences I've had and all the opportunities that it opened up and to be able to call Simon Cowell a friend and to be able to have dinner with him."

He featured in the Olivier Award-winning Guys and Dolls and played Rhett Butler in Sir Trevor Nunn's 2008 West End musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind.

Campbell Danesh also appeared in the first series of ITV's Popstar To Operastar - which saw eight pop singers train to perform world-famous opera arias in 2010 - beating Bernie Nolan in the final.

The show saw him duet with tenor Rolando Villazón on the song The Impossible Dream and helped him land his first major opera role, as the bullfighter Escamillo in a one-off production of Carmen at London's O2 Arena, the first ever opera at the venue at the time.

Opera singer Katherine Jenkins, who mentored him on the show, said she had "great memories" of coaching him.

"So sad to hear the news of Darius's passing," she said. "Hugely enthusiastic, a passionate performer and proud Scotsman. My thoughts are with his family.

"Bernie Nolan, Meatloaf and now Darius - all friends from season one and taken too soon from us. RIP."