ROCHESTER — Scottish singer and actor Darius Campbell Danesh died from inhaling chloroethane and suffocation, the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office said.
The medical examiner's office ruled Danesh's death an accident. Local authorities said they found "no signs of intent or suspicious circumstances."
The international star was found unresponsive in a Rochester apartment on Aug. 11. He was 41.
It is not clear why Danesh was in Rochester or how long he had been in town.
Danesh's family said in a statement to U.K. press that he had taken chloroethane for chronic pain suffered after a 2010 car crash in Spain that left him with a broken neck.
"The results of medical examinations have confirmed that Darius' death was an accident caused by chloroethane, which is used to treat pain and that tragically lead to respiratory arrest," the family said in the statement.
Chloroethane, commonly known as ethyl chloride, is a colorless, flammable gas or refrigerated liquid. It has also been a popular inhalant street drug dating back to the 1980s.
Brief inhalations of the drug can cause a drunk-like feeling of dizziness, euphoria and a lack of coordination. More significant doses can lead to death.
Danesh broke out in 2001 on the ITV reality show "Popstars" then was voted into the finals of the first "Pop Idol," a forerunner to "American Idol." His debut single "Colourblind" topped the U.K. charts and he went on to success at West End theater productions.