Mel B breaks silence to pay tribute to late ‘X Factor’ contestant Danny Dearden
After his death aged 34 was confirmed by his manager, singer Danny Dearden’s former ‘X Factor’ mentor Mel B has paid tribute to him by saying his passing is “very, very sad”.
Mel B has paid tribute to late singer Danny Dearden.
Danny, who was 23 when he appeared on ‘The X Factor’ in 2014, was mentored by Melanie during the Judges’ Houses stage of the competition, which took place in Mexico, and his death aged 34 was confirmed on Tuesday. (15.04.25)
Following the news, former ‘X Factor’ judge and Spice Girls star Mel said online: “This is so very, very sad. I remember clearly the impact he made on me. I feel deeply for his family and friends – God rest his soul.”
During his audition, Danny performed a rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Beautiful Disaster’ in front of Melanie and fellow Spice Girl Emma Bunton.
Even though he impressed with his vocals, Danny did not advance to the live finals, losing out to Andrea Faustini, Jake Quickenden and Paul Akister.
His death was confirmed by his manager Denise Beighton, who said: “Danny’s passing has left us heartbroken. Heartbroken to wake up to the news that you’re gone. I have no words right now, rest easy beautiful boy.”
No cause of death has been made public.
Despite his early exit from ‘The X Factor’, Danny went on to establish a successful career as a singer and songwriter.
In 2021, he signed a deal with Sentric Music, having amassed more than 15 million streams on Spotify. His 2018 collaboration with French DJ Michael Calfan, titled ‘Could Be With You’, alone approached 14 million plays on the platform.
Danny once said about joining forces with Michael: “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.”
In his final Instagram post, Danny shared an image of a hot drink in a hospital setting, weeks before his death.
In December 2023, he wrote on the platform: “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 publicly about being hit by ongoing health issues throughout the previous year.
