Inaugural The Voice winner Ben Saunders found dead at 43

The inaugural winner of The Voice, Ben Saunders, has been found dead at the age of 43.

According to local newspaper De Telegraaf, the body of The Voice of Holland champion was found at a popular recreational lake in the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Police recovered his body from Rijkerswoerdse Lakes at 1.20 pm local time, DutchNews reported. No cause of death has been revealed.

"We can confirm that a body was found yesterday at a recreational lake of Arnhem and that police have ruled out foul play," the Police Unit East Netherlands told People magazine. "We do not release or comment on personal details."

The singer's older brother, Dean, shared a tribute on Instagram, posting a photo of the two of them as children and writing, "I have never experienced pain like what I am feeling right now.

"My dear little brother passed away today," he wrote. "What a terrible day for all of us. We have to learn to live with this, and I hope this will be handled respectfully. Ben had a beautiful, beautiful family and a family that loves him very much and always will. Ben is in my heart, and he will stay there forever."

Saunders won the first season of The Voice of Holland in 2011. The show went on to become a huge success, inspiring adaptations across the globe.

Following his time on the show, the British-born Dutch singer released his debut album, You Thought You Knew Me by Now, in April 2011, which featured one of his biggest hits, Kill for a Broken Heart.

He released a second album in 2012, after which he returned to his previous career as a tattoo artist while still making music.