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American Idol contestant Willie Spence, 23, has passed away. On October 11, 2022, the Season 19 runner up succumbed to injuries from a car accident.
At the time of writing this article, Spence's family had not released a public statement about his death.
One of the first publications to report on Willie Spence’s passing was Douglas Now Local news. They announced that the youngster was in Tennessee at the time of his death. In a Facebook post, the news outlet shared:
“We have no further details at this time. We extend our condolences to Willie’s family, friends, and fans. He was an extraordinary talent and a ray of light to millions across the world. He will be missed.”
TMZ reported that at the time of his death, Willie Spence was driving home from Atlanta. As per reports obtained by E! News, the 23-year-old died due to injuries that he sustained after his car crashed into a tractor trailer on a Marion County interstate.
Prior to his death, Spence uploaded a video of himself on Instagram, in which he can be seen singing in a vehicle. The caption for the post read:
“Lord you are my hiding place”🎤🥺..
Confirming the news of his death, K Michelle, Spence’s friend took to social media to upload a tributary message. She uploaded a carousel of images and videos of the two spending time together and wrote in the Instagram post’s caption:
“Honestly, i’m in shock. I’m in tears. My lord Willie. One of my favorite rebels, you just dm last week about my new single. It’s been years of you loving me and me loving you. I was so happy that the world got to experience that amazing gift you have. I’m really just done for tonight. This one hurts really bad! God why! R.I.P my baby @williespenceofficial I will always love your friend.”
"Such a kind soul": Tributes pour in as Willie Spence passes away
Since news of the singer’s passing broke out, social media has been flooded with condolences messages. Along with his latest Instagram post being filled with endless tributary messages, Twitter has also accumulated several posts from fans expressing grief over Spence's untimely demise.
A few tweets read:
Who was Willie Spence?
Willie Spence amassed a massive fan following worldwide after appearing on the 19th season of American Idol. He sang Diamonds by Rihanna during his audition and was accepted into the show by all three judges, including Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
During the show’s finale, the Douglas, Georgia-native crooned Georgia on My Mind by Ray Charles, A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke, and Stand Up by Cynthia Erivo. Spence finished second, behind winner Chayce Bekham.
Last May, Spence and Grace Kinstler took to the stage to perform for American Idol’s 20th anniversary special, which was also dubbed “The Great Idol Reunion.”
The singer specialized in gospel and big diva music. Since his departure from the show, he has been performing live at various concerts and was also reportedly planning to record new music.
At the time of writing this article, Spence had amassed 483k followers on his verified Instagram account.
