Darius Campbell

Darius Campbell was a U.K. superstar, conquering both the music world and the theater world. Born on August 19, 1980 in Glasgow, Scotland to an Iranian father and a Scottish mother, Campbell began performing professionally at the age of 10, appearing in a Scottish Opera production of "The Trojans" (1990) as well as a Covent Garden Royal Opera House production of "Carmen" (1995). He went on to study philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, before appearing on the 2001 season of the British singing competition "Popstars" (ITV, 2001-). The next year, Campbell made it to the finals of "Pop Idol" (ITV, 2001-03), at which point he turned down Simon Cowell's record contract to sign with producer Steve Lillywhite. His first single, "Colourblind," was released in July of 2002, entering the UK charts at number one. Christmas of 2002 saw the release of Campbell's debut album, Dive In, which was quickly certified platinum. His second album, 2004's Live Twice was a similar success. From there, it was on to London's West End, where Campbell enjoyed plum roles in revivals of "Chicago" (2005-06), "Guys and Dolls" (2007), and Trevor Nunn's musical adaptation of "Gone With the Wind" (2008). In 2010, Campbell returned to the world of reality TV competitions, winning the program "Popstar to Operastar" (ITV, 2010), before returning to the West End stage in productions of "From Here to Eternity the Musical" (2013), and "Funny Girl" (2015). Darius Campbell died on August 11, 2022 in Rochester, MN at the age of 41.