Ben Saunders, winner of the inaugural season of The Voice of Holland, has been found dead in a recreational lake near Arnhem. The 43-year-old singer’s body was recovered from the Rijkerswoerdse Plassen at 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday, according to police.
Family confirms death; brother shares heartbreak
Friends and family confirmed the death to De Telegraaf. Saunders’ brother, Dean, announced the loss in an Instagram post alongside a childhood photo of the two:
“My dear little brother died today. I have never felt such pain as I feel now. What a dreadful day for us all.”
Although formal identification is pending, Saunders was recognized by his distinctive tattoos and his prominence in the Gelderland biker community. Police stated the death is not being treated as a crime. Saunders had been reported missing earlier the same day.
From London to Dutch stardom
Born in London, Saunders moved to the Netherlands as a child with his English parents. He grew up in Hoorn, Noord-Holland, before settling in Arnhem, where he opened a tattoo parlour.
His breakthrough arrived in 2011 when he won The Voice of Holland after impressing judges with his audition performance of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.” That same year, his brother Dean won Popstars; the pair had pursued TV talent contests for a decade, including the 2003 Dutch Eurovision selection. In the early 2000s they formed the band Follow That Dream.
Saunders’ winning single, “Kill for a Broken Heart,” peaked at No. 4 on the Dutch Top 40, and his debut solo album, You Thought You Knew Me By Now, topped the Dutch charts upon its April 2011 release.
Health struggles and legal troubles
Fame proved short-lived. Saunders began experiencing health issues, telling De Telegraaf he suffered from a hernia that forced him to use a walking stick on stage. In 2016 he received a community-service sentence for abusing a traffic official and was ordered to compensate a café owner for property damage.
Saunders was also a member of the outlaw motorcycle club Satudarah, which was banned in 2020 due to its involvement in organized violence and drug trafficking.
