First-ever ‘The Voice’ winner, Ben Saunders, found d£ad in lake at 43

Ben Saunders, the first-ever winner of The Voice of Holland, has been found d£ad in a recreational lake in the Netherlands at the age of 43.

Saunders was found at the Rijkerswoerdse Plassen, a recreational lake near Arnhem, on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.

Dutch police confirmed that a body was recovered from the lake at about 1:20 p.m. local time.

Authorities have ruled out f¤ul play, but the cause of his d£ath has not been disclosed.

Saunders rose to fame in 2011 after winning the inaugural season of The Voice of Holland, the original version of the global singing competition franchise.

Following his music career, Saunders also worked as a tattoo artist and opened a tattoo parlour with his brother, Dean Saunders.

His brother confirmed his d£ath in an emotional tribute shared on Instagram, describing the loss as an extremely painful experience and saying Ben would remain in his heart forever.

Dean also described Saunders as his little brother of 43 years and said he would have done anything for him.