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Carrie Underwood couldn't hold back tears after ‘American Idol’ contestant's moving tribute to late sister

Watch ‘American Idol’ contestant Samantha Ray honor her late sister, who passed away from an overdose, with a heartfelt song

'American Idol' judge Carrie Underwood was moved to tears by Samantha Ray’s heartfelt audition in the Sunday, March 30 episode. Samantha’s story was deeply saddening as she shared the loss of someone close to her: her sister. However, coming onto the stage, she said, “Growing up was awesome because I had somebody to sing with. She was my music partner. Me and her both loved Carrie Underwood, so impressing her is like top of the line for me.” Ray then followed up her wholesome story with a stellar performance of Lee Ann Womack's 'I Hope You Dance' that had Underwood in awe as she watched with glittering eyes.

As her performance came to a close, the judges applauded and Luke Bryan asked Ray what she was thinking about as she was performing the song. Ray, with a determined face, stated that she was thinking about her sister a lot, finally revealing how she lost her sister to a drug overdose earlier this year. She further opened up about her sister’s past, saying, “She was a year younger to me, we were very close. She had two little boys and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking.” Moved by her words, Bryan and Lionel Richie praised Ray’s performance.

However, through it all, Underwood remained silent. When Bryan turned to her for her thoughts, she hesitated, glancing down briefly as she gathered herself. Noticing her emotions, Bryan gently asked if she wanted Richie to speak first. Underwood, visibly teary-eyed, responded with a soft laugh, “I’m teary-eyed, and then he just goes right to me.” Underwood then calmly urged Richie to speak as he went on to praise Ray for her absolute command of emotions, telling her how she has an "absolute trigger on emotions.”

Finally, after collecting herself, Underwood spoke, “We didn’t know what you were thinking about, but we knew you were thinking about something, and that’s being a storyteller that pulls people in and that was really special.” The judges finally gave their verdict, and to no one’s surprise, it was a yes from all of them.  After receiving her Golden Ticket, Ray delved deeper into her and her sister’s relationship backstage as she said, “My sister loved to sing too; this was also her dream. We grew up singing songs all the time in the car, karaoke and singing Carrie Underwood songs in the car.”

Underwood was clearly a profound source of inspiration and comfort for the two sisters. As the moment unfolded, we transitioned to Underwood still in tears, reflecting on Ray’s sister’s two young children. It was quite surprising to hear Ray narrate her entire gut-wrenching story without shedding a single tear the entire time. However, as she spoke her final words about her sister, the weight of it all overcame her. Breaking down, she said, “She was everything to me. I wish she was here, but I know I have her watching over me,” as per Parade Magazine.