Gerard Butler pays tribute to “brother in arms” Darius Danesh

The pair were close friends

Gerard Butler has shared a moving tribute to his "dear friend" Darius Campbell Danesh. The Hollywood star said he was "devastated" by his passing, who he described as a "true brother in arms." Earlier this week, Darius's family confirmed that the Colourblind singer passed away at the age of 41, after he was found unresponsive in his US apartment. He had become close friends with Butler, who was one of the last people he was pictured with before his death. The pair reportedly became friends when Darius moved to the US and was introduced to the 300 actor by fellow Scot, Rod Stewart. In a lengthy and touching post on Instagram, Butler shared a picture of him and Darius. He wrote: "To those lucky enough to have met Darius for more than a few minutes, they were deeply moved by his infectious laugh and barely containable zest for life.

"He was always armed with a smile, a booming voice, and a genuinely warm embrace that few could resist - nor would they want to!!!

"He was an incredible talent, a singer whose voice touched your soul and an actor with great presence. But, most importantly, he had the heart of a lion. It was bigger and brighter than the sun and an energy so contagious he could light up a room in seconds."

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cha4-AqPZ_P/ Butler goes on to praise the singer's "purity of thought, deep wisdom and constant gratitude for people, for life, a compassion towards all." He finished by saying: "The universe unfolds in ways we may not agree with or even understand. Somewhere in there I believe there is, or will be, some meaning in why he left us so early. "If it was nothing more than teaching us to live with that open heart, putting others first and never taking ourselves too seriously as we learn to traverse this wonky world we live in then, that might be enough.

"But something tells me there will be way more waves created by our boy Darius further down the line. My heart aches heavily.

"But going forward, I will beat my drum louder and celebrate life and its every beautiful moment because my brother showed me that was a pretty awesome way to go about it."