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‘The Voice’: From Beverly McClellan to Anthony Riley, all the shocking deaths and artistes we lost too soon

The contestants from the show unfortunately died before their career really took off due to various reasons

The 20th season of ‘The Voice’ is all set to premiere on March 1, 2021, on NBC, with judges Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Nick Jonas. The very first season of the singing reality show aired in April 2011 and since then, it has gifted us many talented singers and versatile performers.

However, with boon also comes the bane and shedding light on the same, there were a few singers on the show who left us way too soon. A few artistes on ‘The Voice’ lost their lives due to different reasons. To be specific, Janice Freeman, Beverly McClellan, Christina Grimmie and Anthony Riley were the contestants from the show who unfortunately died before their career really took off.

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Janice Freeman 

Janice Freeman was from Season 13 of ‘The Voice’ and she was the first contestant to ever join Team Miley Cyrus after she got thumbs up for her outstanding performance of the song ‘Radioactive’ in her blind auditions. Freeman was part of  Miley’s team through the Battle and Knockout rounds until she got eliminated in the live shows. Freeman, unfortunately, died due to a blood clot on March 2, 2019, at the age of 33. 

A spokesperson for Freeman told CNN that the singer had revealed that she had an extreme case of pneumonia and that a blood clot had travelled to her heart. The official statement read, “A survivor and fighter, and a beautiful force in this world, Janice gained notoriety through her success on NBC's 'The Voice' as a member of Miley Cyrus' team. Her story inspired fans nationwide, having successfully battled cervical cancer and living her life to the fullest while fighting lupus.” Miley Cyrus also helped her family cover some bills until they found permanent housing.

Beverly McClellan 

Beverly McClellan was the ‘The Voice’ contestant from season 1 and was the finalist from Team Christina Aguilera. She had joined the singer’s team after Aguilera and Adam Levine turned their chairs based on her performance of ‘Piece of My Heart.’ She, unfortunately, died on October 30, 2018, at the age of 49 after getting diagnosed with endometrial cancer earlier that year. ‘The Voice’ third runner-up was born in Kingsport and was raised in Gate City, Va., Before auditioning for ‘The Voice’, she had won the New York National Music Festival in 2004 as Best Overall Performer among 500 contestants. She also recorded five independent albums sans a record label. 

Christina Grimmie 

The contestant from season 6 of ‘The Voice’, Christina Grimmie was a member of Team Adam Levine. She had impressed the coaches with her thrilling performance of ‘Wrecking Ball’ in her blind auditions, which also got her all-four chairs turned around. She also sang the same song in the finale round. Christina Grimmie, unfortunately, died a horrific death after she was fatally shot while signing autographs following her performance in Orlando, Florida on June 10, 2016. She was 22.  Her cover of ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ peaked at number 4 on iTunes charts, all thanks to her performance on ‘The Voice’.  Grimmie’s cover of ‘How to Love’ had peaked at number 5 on the same charts in the following week. 

Anthony Riley 

After earning the “fastest four-chair turn in series history” during season 8 of ‘The Voice’, Anthony Riley had opted for Team Pharrell. The talented contestant had performed ‘I Got You (I Feel Good)’ in the blind auditions to earn the coveted title. He stayed on the same team during the battle rounds but he left the competition abruptly to focus on his personal health after his mesmerising performance on ‘Get Ready’. Tragedy struck when ‘The Voice’ contestant died by suicide at the age of 28 on June 5, 2015. According to the website The Inquirer, Riley was found in the basement of the Philadelphia apartment where he was staying.