Mandisa, who competed on season 5 of “American Idol” and went on to become a successful Christian recording artist, has died. She was 47.
A rep for the singer confirmed to ABC News that Mandisa was found dead in her home on April 18.
“At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details,” the rep stated. “We ask for your prayers for her family and close knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”
“American Idol” remembered Mandisa as “an adored icon” on the show and in the music industry.
“She had become a platinum-selling artist and had won several Grammys for her music. Her passing has left everyone on the show heartbroken, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family,” the statement from “American Idol” read in part.
Taylor Hicks, who won season 5 of “American Idol,” remembered Mandisa as “a power house vocalist on our season of Idol and she graduated to a wonderful career in gospel music. Better yet she was a power house person and all of us will miss her dearly,” he said in a statement shared on Instagram.
Mandisa, born Mandisa Lynn Hundley, finished ninth on the “American Idol” season that was won by Taylor Hicks and also gave us Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler.
After her time on Idol, Mandisa released her debut album, “True Beauty,” in 2007. It debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart and received a Grammy nomination — one of five nods she’d eventually receive.
In 2014, her album “Overcomer” won the Grammy for best contemporary Christian music album.
Mandisa’s most recent album, “Out of the Dark,” came out in 2017.
In 2022, the singer released a memoir, also titled “Out of the Dark,” in which she detailed her past trauma and mental health struggles.
“My dream is that this book will be a tool used in living rooms and coffee shops all over the world to help prompt discussions about our mental health,” she told “Good Morning America” of the book.
“I’ve learned firsthand that talking about it helps it lose some of its power,” she continued, adding that she hopes the conversations her book sparks can “lead to healing.”
In a statement posted to social media, David Pierce, the chief media officer of K-Love, a Christian radio network, wrote, “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.”
