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'American Idol' star Nikki McKibbin dies at 42 from brain aneurysm, fans say she will 'sing forever in our hearts'

McKibbin had appeared on Season 1 of the show and made headlines for her beautiful covers of Alannah Myles, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette and Melissa Etheridge. She finished third

'American Idol' star Nikki McKibbin has died from a brain aneurysm at the age of 42, according to reports. McKibbin had been on life support and passed away due to the aneurysm, reported TMZ. At around 3 am she had been taken into an operating room where she was pronounced dead. She had donated her organs, the publication reported. 

Her co-star Justin Guarini remembered McKibbin as a "fiery funny lady". Guarini had taken to Instagram to confirm McKibbin's death on Saturday, October 31. He shared a black and white picture of the singer and captioned it, "@realnikkimckibbin was a fiery, funny lady who could sing the hell out of a rock song with the same kind of ease and command she lovingly used to cut you with her twangy Southern wit."

"Even in our 20s when we were on 'American Idol' together I could tell that she’d had a challenging life and that not that many people had been kind to her along the way," the post added.

"But I’ll never forget the day that her idol, Stevie Nicks, sent her flowers with a card that said, “You are the Gypsy that I was...”. Nikki was on cloud nine and the joy and excitement that radiated from her was infectious. After the kind of emotional beating she took at the hands of the masses, she deserved to feel good about herself, even for a little while," the post continued. 

Guarini concluded the post by saying, "Rest well, “Gypsy”...and thank you for the laughter, merciless teasing, strength, vulnerability, love, and friendship you showed me during our time together in the spotlight. #rip #americanidol."

McKibbin had appeared on Season 1 of the show and made headlines for her beautiful covers of Alannah Myles, Stevie Nicks, Alanis Morissette and Melissa Etheridge. She finished third in the competition behind second-place winner Justin and winner Kelly Clarkson. 

McKibbin struggled with substance abuse issues and had appeared on 'Celebrity Rehab' along with Dr Drew and 'Sober House' where she had tried to work on beating her addiction to alcohol and cocaine. Later in 2014, her then-15-year-old son Tristan had auditioned for 'American Idol'. 

She has been married to Craig Sadler since the year 2007. The official Twitter page of 'American Idol' had put out a condolence message which read, "Nikki McKibbin was an incredible talent and we are deeply saddened by the news of her passing. She was part of our American Idol family and will be truly missed. Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this difficult time."

Many social media users commented on the post and expressed their condolences. One user wrote, "My deepest, most heartfelt condolences to all over this tragic loss. May Nikki sing forever in your hearts."

Another user shared, "So sorry for the loss of this incredibly talented singers life. Thinking of her husband and all the family. So many talented artistes die too soon. But God has a beautiful choir waiting for us in Heaven." "I just can't like such terrible new Soooo many horrible losses this year. Prayers and love to all of her family, friends and American Idol family," shared another.