The cause of death for British soap opera and reality star Paul Danan, aged 46, has been confirmed.
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Danan passed away at his home in Bristol due to a combination of drugs, including cocaine and heroin, as revealed by a coroner via The Guardian.
Danan, born in Essex, England, in 1978, began his acting career on Channel 4’s soap opera Hollyoaks, where he played Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001. Afterward, he transitioned to presenting and reality TV, appearing in the first two seasons of Celebrity Love Island. In 2017, he gained attention as an outspoken participant on Celebrity Big Brother 20.
On January 15, police were called to a home in Brislington, Bristol. Paramedics sadly confirmed that Danan had passed away.
An inquest into Danan’s death was opened and adjourned earlier in March by Maria Voisin, the senior coroner for Avon, at the Avon Coroner’s Court. During the hearing, coroner’s officer Alexis Camp reported that Danan’s body was identified at the scene by his partner, Melissa Crooks.
“The circumstances are that Mr. Danan was found unresponsive at his home address,” Camp explained, per The Guardian. “Emergency services attended and confirmed he had sadly died. A post-mortem has taken place, and samples have been removed for further analysis.”
“I understand there are no family concerns,” Camp added. “No note was left.”
Paul Danan Reportedly Had Traces of Heroin in His System at the Time of Death
The court was told that Danan’s provisional cause of death was the combined toxicity of heroin, methadone (a heroin substitute), codeine (a painkiller), pregabalin (used to treat anxiety), cocaine, and zopiclone (used for insomnia), with benzodiazepine (an antidepressant) also contributing.
According to The Guardian, Danan struggled with drug addiction for years, reportedly spending around £1 million on rehabilitation. A relapse during the Covid pandemic left him homeless for a time. He eventually sought help at a rehab facility in the Cotswolds.
Danan was scheduled to attend a plea hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court this month. This was after being charged with possession of cocaine and cannabis, according to court records. He also faced allegations of driving under the influence of drugs on October 2 last year in Warrington, Cheshire.
The coroner has provisionally scheduled the full inquest hearing for May.