The first-ever winner of The Voice has been found dead in a lake aged 43.
London-born Ben Saunders shot to fame in January 2011 when he won the first-ever series of The Voice, the Dutch show that launched the global format, and became an overnight star.
His brother Dean confirmed the death on Instagram after a body was recovered during a search for a missing man on Tuesday (15 Sep).
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The police said a crime had been ruled out and did not give a cause of death.
The body was pulled from the Rijkerswoerdse Plassen, a recreational lake between Arnhem and Elst in the Netherlands, at about 1.20pm on Tuesday after he was reported missing that morning.
Officers launched a land and water search with boats, dogs, divers and a helicopter after a man was seen going into the water and not coming back up.
Police East Netherlands said they are “currently visibly present at the Rijkerswoerdse Plassen in connection with a missing person”.
A public alert described a 43-year-old man with a beard, a white shirt, blue jeans, black shoes and tattoos on his head, neck, arms and hands.
The scene inquiry was closed at about 5pm and investigators said there were no signs of a crime.
Relatives and friends gathered at the water’s edge and later walked behind a hearse as it left the lakes, with Dutch reports saying the death had come “totally unexpected”.
Dean wrote: “My dear little brother died today. I have never felt pain like I feel now.”
He added: “What a terrible day for all of us. We have to learn to live with this and I hope it is treated with respect.
“Ben had a beautiful family and relatives who love him dearly.
“I will always do so too. Ben is in my heart and he will stay there forever.”
Born in London on 9 July 1983 to English parents, Saunders was raised in the Dutch city of Hoorn.
He turned the judges with Use Somebody by Kings of Leon in the first seconds of his blind audition.
He then joined Roel van Velzen’s team.
He took 59 percent of the public vote in the final, his winner’s single Kill For A Broken Heart went to number one and his debut album You Thought You Knew Me By Now topped the Dutch chart.
Dean, a former Popstars winner, had earlier sung with him in the band Follow That Dream, as reported by Need To Know.
Saunders later ran a tattoo shop in Arnhem and is survived by his fiancée Janita and three children.
Former Voice coach Marco Borsato posted: “Dear, special man, my heart is crying.
“I cannot find words for the emptiness you leave behind.”
He added: “Dear Janita, friends and family, much strength in processing this enormous loss.”
Singer Gordon wrote that he was “deeply shocked” and called Saunders “an unmatched talent”, saying they had spoken shortly before his death.
No official cause of death has been released yet.
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