The death of Hollyoaks and reality TV star Paul Danan from a cocktail of drugs including cocaine and heroin was misadventure, a coroner has concluded.
Danan, 46, played bad boy Sol Patrick from 1997 to 2001 on the Channel 4 soap and was later known for his reality TV appearances, including on Celebrity Big Brother and Celebrity Love Island.
An inquest into his death was held at Avon Coroner’s Court in Flax Bourton, near Bristol, before Assistant Coroner Debbie Rookes on Wednesday morning.
The hearing was told how Danan was found unresponsive sitting on the sofa in front of the television at his home in Brislington, Bristol, on January 15 this year.
Emergency services attended the scene and confirmed that he had died. His body was identified there by his partner, Melissa Crooks.
A postmortem examination concluded that his death was due to combined toxicity of heroin, methadone, codeine, pregabalin, cocaine and zopiclone, contributed to by benzodiazepine use.
Ms Rookes reached a conclusion that Danan had died by misadventure after hearing written statements from emergency services, doctors, and his mother Beverley Danan.
The statement from Mrs Danan said: “Paul helped so many people from all walks of life but just couldn’t help himself in the same way. His smiling face and love of life will always be remembered.”
Ms Rookes concluded that Danan had died from the combined effects of prescribed and illicit drugs. She told the hearing there was no evidence that Danan, who suffered an accidental overdose in May 2024, had intended to take his own life.
A previous hearing was told that no note was left by Danan. The coroner said: “Paul Danan was clearly much loved and is very much missed. Mr Danan had a long history of drug misuse and struggles with his mental health. His death was caused by a combination of drugs, both prescription and illicit.
“Paul had struggled with his mental health for many years. He had taken an overdose in May 2024 but he was adamant that this was accidental and he didn’t have any intention to end his life.
“Although he had occasional suicidal thoughts, he didn’t have any active plans. I don’t have any evidence before me that Paul intended to take his own life at this time. Therefore, the conclusion is misadventure.”
Danan had been due to appear for a plea hearing at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on January 16 after being charged with being in possession of cocaine and cannabis, according to court documents. He was also accused of driving whilst under the influence of drugs on October 2 last year, in Warrington, Cheshire.
The actor had been open about his struggles with addiction, with entering rehab and trying to recover.
