Ben Saunders, the Dutch singer made famous by winning the original version of The Voice, has died at the age of 45.
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Saunders was found dead on September 15 at the Rijkerswoerdse Plassen, a lake in the Netherlands located Elst on the border of Arnhem South, Entertainment Weekly reported, citing Dutch publication De Telegraaf.
According to DutchNews.nl, authorities recovered a body from the lake at 1:20 p.m. local time.
The Police Unit East Netherlands confirmed the body retrieval in a statement to EW via email.
“We can only confirm that a body was found yesterday near [Rijkerswoerdse Plassen]. Investigation makes clear, there is no crime involved. We never answer about one’s identity due to privacy,” the statement reads.
A cause of death hasn’t been shared.
His brother Dean shared a tribute to Ben on Instagram, confirming his death.
“My sweet little brother has passed away today… I have never experienced such pain as what I feel now …. what a terrible day for all of us,” he wrote. “We have to learn to live with this and I hope that this will be treated respectfully.”
“Ben had a beautiful beautiful family and a family who love him very much and I will continue to do so forever … Ben is in my heart and there he remains forever ❤️🙏”
Saunders was born on July 9, 1983. He had his first taste of reality competition shows in 2000 after appearing on the RTL 4 show Alles voor de band: Follow that dream. As a result, he and Dean were members of the short lived group Follow That Dream.
A decade later, he participated in a new competition, The Voice of Holland. After impressing the judges with his rendition of “Use Somebody” during the blind auditions, he ultimately won the show.
He released two albums in 2011 and 2012. And he won several awards, including MTV Europe Music Award for Best Dutch Act. Later, he opened a tattoo parlor.