American Idol alum Mandisa has passed away at age 47.

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Mandisa was found dead in her Nashville home on Thursday, April 18, according to USA Today.

"At this time, we do not know the cause of death or any further details," Mandisa's team told the outlet.

"We ask for your prayers for her family and close-knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time."

A statement on Mandisa's official Facebook account reads, "Mandisa was a voice of encouragement and truth to people facing life's challenges all around the world. She wrote this song for a dear friend who had passed away in 2017. Her own words say it best. 'I'm already home, you've got to lay it down 'cause Jesus holds me now -- And I am not alone.'"

Mandisa's death was also announced on the California radio station K-Love, Us Weekly reported.

"Mandisa loved Jesus, and she used her unusually extensive platform to talk about Him at every turn," David Pierce, the Chief Media Officer for K-Love, said on Friday, April 19.

"Her kindness was epic, her smile electric, her voice massive, but it was no match for the size of her heart."

David 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."

On Sunday night's episode of American Idol, host Ryan Seacrest paid a quick tribute to Mandisa.

"We wanted to take a moment to honor a dear member of the Idol family who we sadly lost this week -- Mandisa," Ryan said.

"She was an inspiration on the show and beyond. We're going to celebrate her next week with a very special musical tribute. Our hearts go out to her family and all of those, like us, who called her a friend."

Many American Idol alums have been remembering Mandisa and honoring her memory.

Jennifer Hudson wrote on X, "Broke my heart when I heard the news! She was truly a woman of faith. A bright light that made such a powerful imprint on this world. Rest in heaven, Mandisa!"

Mandisa previously revealed in 2017 on Good Morning America that she battled demons and her friends attempted to help her.

"I came out of the movie theater, this was after years of me being in that dark place and ignoring everybody, and I noticed that my car had a bunch of sticky notes all over it," the singer said at the time.

"As I got closer to it, I realized that those notes said things like, 'We love you. Come back to us. We miss you.' And then as I got closer to my car, a group of my friends, who I had shut out, they were there."

Mandisa added, "And they had been waiting at that movie theater as I sat there and watched two movies, not just one, they waited there for over four hours for me. And they pretty much had an intervention and they said, 'We love you just as you are but we love you too much to leave you that way.'"

Mandisa competed on American Idol's fifth season when the show had aired on Fox in 2006. She was a 29-year-old from Antioch, TN, at the time, and she was formally known as Mandisa Hundley.

Mandisa finished in the Top 10 during her season, but she faced a lot of scrutiny. Mandisa was once told her song choice was "horrible," and former American Idol judge Simon Cowell criticized her weight and later apologized for body-shaming her.

One year after her elimination, Mandisa dropped her debut album, True Beauty in 2007.

Following her first album, Mandisa released five more albums, and the Christian recording artist won four Grammy Awards for her contemporary gospel albums.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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