Scots singer Darius Campbell Danesh's death ruled an accident

Scottish Pop Idol singer Darius Campbell Danesh died after inhaling chloroethane which led to respiratory arrest, a US medical examiner has confirmed.

The 41-year-old was found dead at his apartment in Rochester, Minnesota, last month.

His family said he was suffering from chronic neck pain following a car accident in 2010.

The West End star's death has been ruled an accident.

The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office has confirmed that he died from "inhalation of chloroethane".

Post-mortem examination documents obtained by the PA news agency listed "toxic effects of chloroethane" as well as "suffocation" as having contributed to his death.

In a statement, Campbell Danesh's family said: "The results of medical examinations have confirmed that Darius's death was an accident caused by chloroethane, which is used to treat pain and that tragically lead to respiratory arrest.

"Darius was suffering from chronic neck pain following a car accident in 2010.

"We would like to thank everyone for their love and kindness, and ask that the family's privacy is maintained during this difficult time".

In 2010, Campbell Danesh spoke to Hello! magazine about the crash in which he broke his neck.

The singer had been a passenger in a Porsche when it hit a wall at 70mph after skidding on oil during a holiday in Spain.

He told the publication he felt like "the luckiest man alive", having been told by nurses he was 3mm from death.

He was treated with daily physiotherapy but turned down an operation recommended by doctors over concerns that it would damage his vocal cords.

The singer-songwriter and actor - known as Darius Danesh when he made his first bid for fame in ITV show Popstars in 2001 - also appeared on the first Pop Idol, which was won by Will Young.

In 2010, Darius announced that he had changed his surname to Campbell, saying he was very "proud" of his Scottish heritage and felt compelled to do so after his Scottish grandfather sang a song that brought tears to his eyes.

He told the Daily Record at the time that his real name was Darius Campbell Danesh and revealed it was not his decision to drop the Campbell from his name, stating that TV producers made the decision for him.

Fellow Pop Idol contestants Will Young and Gareth Gates paid tribute to him following his death, describing him as "driven, courageous and gentle".

Music mogul Simon Cowell, who Danesh Campbell turned down for a record deal after his time on the talent show, also paid tribute to the singer, as did Hollywood actor Gerard Butler who was a close friend.

Campbell Danesh's debut single, Colourblind, was released in July 2002 and went straight to number one, marking the start of a run of top 10 releases.

Following his death, the song re-entered music charts and several days later took the top spot on the iTunes download chart.

Campbell Danesh 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.