X Factor star Ben Thapa dead at 42

'X Factor' star Ben Thapa has died at the age of 42.

The singer found fame as a member of vocal quartet G4 on the first series of the ITV show in 2004 and the group revealed the tragic news of his passing in a social media post.

They wrote on Instagram: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our brother and great friend, Ben Thapa.

"Words cannot express how we all feel right now...

"We understand that this will be heartbreaking news for so many others too and we send your love and support as we all remember the amazing man and memories that he has left behind.

"Ben has been such a major part of the international singing community and he was a critical part of our journey as a group.

"Thank you for your love at this difficult time.

"RIP Ben xxxx."

Artist management company Steven Swales paid tribute on their website, writing: "We are hugely sad to announce the death, after a short illness, of Ben Thapa. It was a huge privilege to know and work with him.

"Ben was well known for his performances in oratorio, opera and as a member of the vocal group G4. He will be missed by so many, and we send our thoughts to his family, friends and colleagues."

G4 – consisting of Ben and bandmates Jon Ansell, Matt Stiff and Mike Christie – were runners-up on 'The X Factor' and secured a £1.5 million album deal with Sony for their operatic versions of pop songs.

Thapa left the group in 2018 but continued performing solo.

His cause of death has not yet been revealed, although Ben had posted a picture of a dialysis machine on Instagram last week.

He captioned the post: "Meet my new dialysis friend. What shall we call them? X"