Ben Saunders, the first winner in The Voice history when the format was still broadcast only in the Netherlands, has died at the age of 43. The police found his body on Tuesday, September 15, in a lake near Arnhem, after his disappearance was reported. Authorities do not suspect foul play, and the cause of death has not been released.
Saunders won the inaugural edition of The Voice of Holland in 2011, the program that gave rise to an international franchise with versions such as The Voice in the United States or La Voz in Spain. It is the format that, in the United States, has propelled successful careers for artists like Melanie Martinez or Morgan Wallen, although neither won the competition.
He arrived on the show performing a rendition of Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody and clinched victory with Kill for a Broken Heart, which entered the Dutch Top 40. His debut album, You Thought You Knew Me By Now, reached No. 1 in the Netherlands.
In recent years, Saunders also drew media attention for various legal problems, as Deadline reports. In 2016 he was sentenced to community service for assaulting a traffic officer and later had other run-ins with the law. He had also been linked to the Satudarah biker club.
His brother Dean, who won Popstars shortly after Ben’s triumph on The Voice, has confirmed his death on Instagram.
