Willie Spence death: 'American Idol' runner-up had a flat tire before he crashed into PARKED semi-truck
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Willie Spence, 'American Idol' season 19 runner-up and Instagram star, died at the age of 23 on Tuesday, October 11 due to the injuries he sustained in a car crash in Tennessee.
A close family member of the singer told TMZ that Spence crashed into a semi-truck parked on the side of the road while driving home to Atlanta from Tennessee. The member also said that Spence had a flat tire at some point earlier on Tuesday, but he got it fixed.
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The Marion County Sheriff’s Office revealed the ‘Never Be Alone’ crooner was driving a Jeep Cherokee when he went off the road and crashed into a car that was stopped on the shoulder. The accident report obtained by Fox affiliate WFXL stated the crash happened around 4 pm on eastbound Interstate 24 near Chattanooga. The late singer was rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries. However, the driver of the semi-truck, identified as 68-year-old Raymond Kresl, was not injured.
The singer had posted a video of himself singing a worship song called “You Are My Hiding Place” on Tuesday and was promoting a gig where he was set to perform at the Trinity Baptist Church in London on November 12.
Born on June 18, 1999, Spence rose to fame with his performances during the 19th season of the American singing reality show. His mesmerizing voice awed the audience and made the judges give him a big thumbs-up. During the finale of the season, he sang “Georgia on My Mind” by Ray Charles, “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke, and “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo. The judges were absolutely moved by his performance but he failed to clinch the trophy because of fewer public votes. But he didn’t lose hope, and came out and delivered some top-notch bangers including "Never Be Alone".
Apart from being a successful singer he also became a renowned social media personality with more than 507k followers on Instagram. As per the reports by Forbes and IMDb, Spence had a net worth of more than $15 million.
There has been an outpouring of love and respect for Willie since his sudden demise. 'American Idol' official Instagram mourned his death by sharing a video from his audition, where he can be seen singing "Diamond" by Rihanna. "We are devastated about the passing of our beloved American Idol family member, Willie Spence," the post read. "He was a true talent who lit up every room he entered and will be deeply missed. We send our condolences to his loved ones."
The judges of the show also mourned his demise. "I love you Willie… purest soul," Katy Perry wrote. "Sing with the angels my darling." Re-sharing the audition footage to his Instagram Stories, host Ryan Seacrest wrote, "Everybody on and off set loved him. @williespenceofficial you'll be deeply missed."
"Willie really did light up every room he walked into," Luke Bryan wrote in a separate post. "He could change the mood instantly when he started singing. He will truly be missed."