X Factor star Danny Dearden dies aged 34 as manager releases statement
Former X Factor contestant Danny Dearden has died, at the age of 34, with his manager confirming the news via a statement.
Dearden’s time on the show was short-lived despite making it to the judge’s houses with Mel B – but unfortunately missing out on a spot during the live shows.
His manager Denise Beighton said: “Heartbroken to wake up to the news that you’re gone. I have no words right now, rest easy beautiful boy.”
During his stint on X Factor, Dearden impressed the judges with his vocals and his personality, which earned him a spot at Spice Girl’s star Mel B’s judges house in Mexico.
He sang a rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s Beautiful Disaster for the Spice Girl and her former bandmate Emma Bunton but was popped at the post by fellow stars Jake Quickenden, Andrea Faustini, and Paul Akister,
Despite missing out on one of the three places in the final of the popular TV talent show, Dearden went on to be a successful vocalist and songwriter.
The circumstances surrounding his death have not been released, but the star previously posted on Instagram in December 2023 how the NHS had saved his life.
He penned: “This year has been a bit of a rocky one, at one point I was told I probably wouldn’t be here today…well, I am.”
He also spoke on social media last year saying he had not been in the “best of health recently.”
Away from the show, the singer signed a deal with Sentric Music in 2021 and amassed more than 15 million streams on Spotify.
He collaborated with French producer Michael Calfan on the song Could Be With You – which has topped nearly 14million Spotify streams.
It was played on BBC Radio 1 Party Anthems with Scott Mills and also featured on ITV’s Love Island.
When discussing what it was like to work with Calfan, Dearden said in 2018: “It was amazing working with him.
“At the time of the first session, when we wrote “It’s Wrong”, I hadn’t had a lot of experience in a studio of that scale, so it was quite nerve-racking, but everyone made me feel at ease.
“He is one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve ever met, although it can be difficult at times because he has the strongest French accent I’ve ever heard.
“That mixed with my Northern/Lancashire/Manc accent we had to repeat ourselves a few times.”
Talking about how successful that song became, he added: “Yeah, it’s mental that amount of streams, we are nearly at three-quarters of a million and we haven’t even started the promotion we have planned yet.
“Seeing people like Martin Garrix and Martin Solveig add it to their personal playlist is crazy.”