American Idol star Mandisa has sadly died.
The singer, who was also a Grammy Award winner, was found dead in her apartment aged 47 in Nashville, Tennessee. It has been reported that her body was discovered on Thursday April 18.
K-Love confirmed the news by sharing a statement made by Chief Media Officer David Pierce. He said: “Mandisa loved Jesus and she used her unsually extensive platform to talk to Him at every turn. Her kindness was epic, her smile electric, her voice massive but it was no match for the size of her heart.”
Pierce continued: “Mandisa struggled and she was vulnerable enough to share that with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles. Mandisa’s struggles are over. She is with the God she sang about now. While we are saddened, Mandisa is home. We’re praying for Mandisa’s family and friends and ask you to join us.”
Hundley’s cause of death has yet to be confirmed. The star first appeared in the spotlight on season five of American Idol back in 2005. She auditioned in front of the judging panel and blew them away with her cover of Fallin’ by Alicia Keys.
The singer performed to Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul at the time and Cowell branded her “terrific”. She was sent through to the next round, but tensions rose after he commented on her weight. Mandisa later said: “You hurt me and I cried and it was painful. It really was, but I want you to know I’ve forgiven you and that you don’t need someone to apologise in order to forgive somebody.”
Hundley made it to the live show segment in the later stages, but was sadly eliminated in the top nine. However, this didn’t hold her back – Mandisa released her debut single Only The World back in May 2007 with a positive reception from fans.
Following on from her single, Hundley put out her first album True Beauty which brought her huge success. She was the first female artists to debut at number one in the Top Christian Album charts.
The record helped to earn her a Grammy nomination for best pop/contemporary gospel album and later won the 2014 Grammy for best contemporary Christian music album for Overcomer.
After a close friend died of cancer, Mandisa stepped out of the spotlight for a while to take some time to grieve. She later returned to the charts in 2017 with her album Out of the Dark.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
