'American Idol' contestant Haley Smith dies in a motorcycle crash aged 26
Haley Smith, who briefly appeared in 'American Idol' in 2012 met with a motorcycle accident in Maine on Saturday and was reportedly pronounced dead by officers who had arrived on the scene. It was a one-vehicle crash early on Saturday morning in Millinocket and it appears the singer may have failed to make a sharp turn along a residential road, which becomes a highway in certain sections.
According to a report in TMZ, Haley's father Mike Smith said she was riding on a country road and their family believes a deer might have been the cause of the accident and implied she was a good rider. And so, Mike doesn't believe his daughter simply lost control of the bike.
Haley appeared in 'American Idol' Season 11 and she didn't get too far, but she made an impression on the judges. Haley made it as far as the second Hollywood round with her performance of Rufus and Chaka Khan's 'Tell Me Something Good', to which she put a folksy twist and impressed the judges of the season, Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
Tyler went as far as to say that hearing Haley sing was an honor because she was out of his "era" with her look, sound and vibe. Smith was 26-years-old and her family was getting ready to celebrate her birthday in November together.
