Former “American Idol” runner-up Willie Spence died following a automotive accident on Tuesday, in line with a preliminary report from the Tennessee Freeway Patrol.
Spence, 23, completed as runner-up to Chayce Beckham within the present’s nineteenth season, which aired final 12 months.
The crash occurred at round 4 p.m. Tuesday in Marion County in East Tennessee, when Spence’s 2019 Jeep Cherokee “left the roadway” and collided with the again of a tractor trailer that was stopped on the shoulder of the east aspect of Interstate 24, on the 147 mile marker, the report states.
Each Spence, who’s initially from Georgia, and the driving force of the tractor trailer, who’s 68 years outdated, had been carrying seat belts, in line with the report.
A spokesperson for the Tennessee Freeway Patrol mentioned the company is investigating the incident and why Spence’s automotive veered off the highway.
A consultant for the Tennessee Division of Well being didn’t instantly reply to an inquiry in regards to the trigger or time of dying.
Simply hours earlier than the crash, Spence posted a video of himself singing “You Are My Hiding Place” on his Instagram web page.
Katharine McPhee Foster, who completed because the runner-up on season 5 of “Idol” and carried out a duet with Spence on season 19, posted information of the dying to her Instagram story.
“Life is so unfair and nothing is ever promised,” she wrote. “God relaxation your soul Willie. It was a pleasure to sing with you and to know you.”
Spence’s “Idol” journey started with a efficiency of Rihanna’s “Diamonds” throughout his audition for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan. The efficiency ended with Richie giving him a standing ovation and calling him an “simple star” earlier than the judges despatched him to Hollywood.
“I simply need my voice to succeed in the world and simply share my present — hopefully profitable a Grammy sooner or later, that is the place I see myself in 5 years,” Spence informed the judges on the audition. “It is gonna take arduous work, however I really feel like I can do it.”
“That Grammy is attainable, little question in my thoughts,” Bryan informed him.
Spence deliberate to carry out at a present in London subsequent month, in line with a publish on his Instagram.
